Hostages Released in Gaza

A second group of hostages who had been held captive in Gaza since being kidnapped by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel were released Saturday after an hours-long delay as part of the short-term cease-fire agreement brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.

There were 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals released, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement. There were seven Israeli children ranging in age from 3 to 16, and six Israeli women ranging in age from 18 to 67 released, the office announced.

Their release came after an hourslong delay Saturday when Hamas accused Israel of not complying with the cease-fire's terms.

One U.S. source told CBS News that the delay was over the pace of aid coming into Gaza.

"This is putting the deal in danger and we have spoken to mediators about that," Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said in Beirut.

However, Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, said in a statement that "obstacles were overcome" with the help of Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and Hamas finally agreed to release the hostage.

After an intense diplomatic effort, a cease-fire was declared on Friday morning. As part of the agreement, 50 Hamas-held hostages, all women and children, were to be released over the course of four days. In return, Israel would release 150 Palestinian women and children held in its jails.

The Israeli Defense Forces have confirmed that the hostages have been freed. In a statement on Saturday night, they announced that the hostages had undergone an initial medical assessment and would now be accompanied by IDF soldiers as they made their way to Israeli hospitals to be reunited with their families.

In addition, 39 Palestinians, including 33 children and six women, who were being held in Israeli jails, will also be released on Saturday.

This follows the release of an initial group of hostages on Friday, which included 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals, and a Filipino citizen. The Israeli government stated that the released Israelis ranged in age from 2 to 85, and included several mothers and four children. Two Americans and two Israelis were released by Hamas last month.

Israeli intelligence has been receiving a list of the names of the hostages expected to be released in each group prior to their handover. The families of those released in Saturday's second group were given early notification on Friday night, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hostages Released in Gaza

Prior to Saturday's hostage releases, it was estimated that there were still 213 hostages being held in Gaza, down from an estimated 240 before the cease-fire took effect. 

Among the 50 hostages slated to be freed, three of them are Americans. There are currently up to 10 Americans who remain unaccounted for since the Hamas attack. 

President Biden stated on Friday that the U.S. does not know when the American hostages will be released or what their conditions are. One of the hostages is 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, whose parents were killed by Hamas militants on October 7th. A senior Biden administration official mentioned on Saturday morning that they do not expect the American hostages to be released today.  

"We are in the early stages of a process that will see the release of at least 50 women and children during the first phase of the agreement," the official stated. "We are hopeful that this will include three dual national women and children who are American citizens. This will unfold over the next few days. We will not provide updates on individual cases as the process is ongoing."

In accordance with the agreement, Israel released a first group of 39 Palestinian prisoners on Friday, consisting of 24 women and 15 teenage boys. Thousands of people gathered in the village of Beitunia in the occupied West Bank to welcome them after they were freed from three Israeli prisons.

The Red Cross oversaw their transfer, first to the West Bank's Ofer Prison, and then to Beitunia.

Israeli forces had gathered outside Ofer Prison ahead of the exchange, where some Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers. CBS News cameras showed one Palestinian who was shot in the leg with a live round before being rushed into an ambulance.

Noman Abu Naeem told CBS News his 16-year-old son Ahmed was on the list of Palestinian prisoners due to be released Friday. Naeem said his son had been jailed for about a year after allegedly being arrested for joining a protest.

 "Like anyone who was dying to see their son, we were thrilled," he said of his reaction to learning of his son's pending release.

The cease-fire agreement also allows for aid to enter the devastated Gaza Strip. The United Nations said that 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid — including food, water and medical supplies — crossed into southern Gaza from Egypt via the Rafah crossing Friday in the hours after the cease-fire began. Four trucks of fuel and four tanks of cooking gas were also delivered into Gaza, the U.N said.

Egyptian and Israeli officials have said that about 200 aid trucks will enter Gaza daily during the ceasefire.