Israel-Hamas war top developments: 39 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails

Israel's prison service said 39 Palestinian detainees were released on Sunday under the terms of a truce agreement between.

Hamas is willing to extend the truce for two to four days beyond its initial expiry Monday, the news agency AFP reported on Sunday citing a source.

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he hoped that the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which ends on Monday, would extend.

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that 13 of the 14 hostages released by Hamas were back in Israeli territory, and the remaining four were headed to Egypt.

In a statement, the army said that 12 hostages were headed to a military base accompanied by Israeli special forces and one had been flown directly to a hospital. 

Four additional released hostages were on their way to the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the statement added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his country has the power, strength, will, and determination to achieve all the war's goals. 

In his first to the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on Oct 7, Prime Minister Netanyahu told troops, "We continue until the end -- until victory." 

US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said an American hostage could be released by Hamas on Sunday

"We have reason to believe one of those Americans will be released today, but until we actually see her safe and sound out of Gaza, we cannot have a hundred percent certainty that it will happen. So we are going to watch this hour by hour and hopefully have a moment of joy when one of the Americans is safely out ultimately reunited with her family. That's what we are waiting for as we speak," NSA Sullivan told ABC News.

A total of 13 Israeli hostages and 39 prisoners will be released later on Sunday as the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas will soon come to an end.Egypt said it has released the list of the hostages that will be released today. 

Hamas said on Sunday that it released one Russia hostage from its activity, as more hostages are expected to be released later in the day. 

"In response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and in appreciation of the Russian position in support of the Palestinian cause, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas released one of the detainees of the Russian citizenship," it said in a statement," Hamas said in a statement. 

A US official said on Sunday that an Israeli-linked tanker has been seized in the Gulf of Aden.

Hamas militants are set to a third group of Israeli hostages later on Sunday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Saturday, the Palestinian militant group released 13 Israelis and four Thai hostages at night

Dr Itai Pessach, the CEO of Edmund and Lily Safra Children's Hospital in Israel, said on Sunday that it was an amazing privilege to treat the latest group of hostages released by Hamas on Saturday.

Hamas handed over 13 Israeli hostages and four foreigners, following a brief disruption.

"Last night, after the very confusing and stressful period, at around 3:30 a.m. we received these 12 captive children and women that came back. They underwent medical evaluation and a psychological evaluation. I'm happy to say to despite the fact that the harsh conditions they have been under and the experience of captivity, they did not require any emergency medical intervention. We will keep them here at the Edmund and Lily Safra Children's Hospital for as long as they need and care for them, help them in their preparation of coming back to their communities," Dr Pessach told reporters.

Hamas on Sunday confirmed the death of its northern brigade commander Ahmed Al-Ghandour and three other leaders.

In a statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said Ghandour was a member of its military council and named three other leaders who had died, including Ayman Siyyam, who Israeli media reports said was head of the Brigades' rocket-firing units.

A resident of the Gaza Strip said on Sunday that the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas allowed him some “stolen moments” of normalcy.

Speaking to the news agency Reuters, Khan Younis resident Ibrahim Kaninch said, "These days, there are no (military) planes flying around and no constant feeling of fear."

People felt a bit of safety in the days of the truce,” Kaninch added.

Qatar reportedly states that an additional 13 children and women held hostage by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip for 51 days will be released later on Sunday (Nov 26). Additionally, seven foreign nationals will be set free as part of a separate agreement, according to reports in Hebrew. Israel is expected to release 39 Palestinian prisoners. While there is no official Israeli announcement, Israeli officials have reportedly confirmed the expected release of 13 Israelis. The ongoing agreement has so far resulted in the release of 26 individuals, a temporary halt in hostilities, the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip, and the release of three Palestinian prisoners for each hostage freed.

Maya Regev, the hostage released by the Hamas terror group, is in moderate condition, according to Dr Shlomi Kodesh, director of Soroka Medical Center, who spoke to the Times of Israel. Regev, aged 21, was immediately taken to the hospital upon her return to Israel, unlike other hostages who were admitted to different medical centers. She is set to undergo a series of surgeries and is expected to make a full recovery. Regev was abducted by Hamas during the Supernova music festival near Re’im on October 7.

Since the commencement of the four-day truce on Friday, a combined total of 26 Israelis, 78 Palestinians, 14 Thais, and one Filipino have been set free.

Hamas is preparing to release a third group of Israeli captives on Sunday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to Al Jazeera. On Saturday, 13 Israelis and four Thai captives were released by Hamas, prompting Israel to free 39 Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Netanyahu's office confirmed receiving a list of captives due to be released on Sunday, undergoing security checks, with families already informed.

As the Israel-Hamas truce went into effect on Friday (Nov 24), 13 Israeli hostages were released on day one, including sisters aged 2 and 4 and their mother, a 5-year-old girl and her mother, as well as elderly women.

Among them was nine-year-old Ohad Munder, who spent his last birthday just a few days ago in Hamas’ captivity. Munder was among the four children released by the terror outfit Friday, who was handed over to Red Cross staff before he returned home to his family in the Jewish nation.

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The United Nations office for humanitarian affairs (UNOCHA) said Israeli forces are arresting people moving from north and central Gaza towards the south through a checkpoint which Israel had described as a "corridor". 

The UNOCHA said that people are being made to pass through an "unstaffed checkpoint" and asked to show IDs and "undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan." 

This comes amid reports that last week, a child was left to pass through the checkpoint alone after his father was arrested at the checkpoint.

Mother of a Thai hostage freed from Gaza said she was indescribably happy her son was among the four most recent Thai nationals confirmed as freed from Hamas captivity.

"My granddaughter called me at 5 a.m. saying my son was among the hostages released and I didn't really believe it," Thongkoon Onkaew told Reuters by phone on Sunday. "Then she sent me the photo and I was like, 'That's my son! My son!'"

This comes after 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals were freed on Sunday by the Palestinian militant group after hours-long delay. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin confirmed that all four were in good health and eager to contact their families.

The United Nations on Saturday said 61 trucks carrying medical supplies, food and water had delivered their payloads in northern Gaza amid pause in fighting. 

Another 200 trucks had been dispatched to the Gaza Strip from Nitzana, Israel, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

Out of the 200 trucks, 187 have made it past the border by the early evening local time. The statement by OCHA added, that 11 ambulances, three coaches and a flatbed were delivered to Al-Shifa hospital, which had seen heavy fighting in recent days, "to assist with evacuations."

"The longer the pause lasts, the more aid humanitarian agencies will be able to send in and across Gaza," said the UN agency, thanking the Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent groups.

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said early Sunday she was "relieved" over the release of a second group of hostages released by Hamas which included four German-Israelis.

"I am thinking of them and of those who are still in the hands of Hamas. We are working with all our might to ensure that they too will soon be free," she wrote in a post on X. 

At least six people were killed by Israeli troops in occupied West Bank on Saturday, said Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

The health ministry reported the death of a 25-year-old doctor early in the morning outside his home in Qabatiya, near Jenin and said that another Palestinian was killed in el-Bireh, near Ramallah.

At least four others were killed after an incursion by a large number of armoured vehicles into Jenin, said the Palestinian health ministry.

A report by Times of Israel citing an official familiar with the matter said that Israeli officials have received the list of hostages who are slated to be released Sunday (Nov 26). 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office says Israel has notified the families whose loved ones are on the list handed over by Qatar. 

Israeli prison authorities announced early Sunday that they had released 39 Palestinian detainees, after Hamas freed 13 hostages under the truce agreement. The freed Palestinian prisoners are all women and people under the age of 19. 

Palestinians in East Jerusalem and West Bank were seen celebrating and welcoming those released. 

A group of 13 Israeli hostages and four Thai nationals were freed in the second round of hostage releases from Gaza, said Israeli officials and Thailand's PM, on Sunday (Nov 26). 

The four Thai hostages released were identified by the Israeli media were Natthaphon Onkaew, Khomkrit Chombua, Anucha Angkaew and Manee Jirachat. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took to X and said all four are in good health.

The exchange took place after Hamas delayed it for several hours accusing Israel of breaching its side of the agreement, struck as part of a four-day ceasefire. 

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