New Delhi

A crucial milestone was reached with the release of 13 Israelis and four Thais from Hamas captivity in the hostage deal involving the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

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The Silkyara tunnel collapse rescue operation faced setbacks on Saturday (Nov 25) as the auger machine broke and its pieces got stuck in the debris. Notably, international tunneling expert Arnold Dix declared that augering would no longer be used in the rescue efforts.

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Hamas releases 13 Israeli, four Thai hostages after hours-long delay

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The release of 13 Israeli and four Thai nationals from Hamas captivity ensured the continuation of the crucial ceasefire and hostage deal aimed at exchanging 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners. However, the fragile nature of the agreement was marked by a dispute over aid supplies that briefly threatened to derail the truce.

Uttarakhand tunnel rescue LIVE: Indian Army likely to carry out manual drilling as auger machine breaks down

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The rescue operation at the site of the Silkyara tunnel collapse was hit by new setbacks Saturday (Nov 25) as the auger machine broke and got stuck in the debris. 

International tunneling expert Arnold Dix said augering will no longer be used in the rescue operation.

Now, manual drilling will start on Sunday (Nov 26). The operation will still take a long time to conclude successfully.

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Watch: Joy, tears as 9-year-old Ohad Munder rejoins family in Israel

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.