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

Hamas has handed over 13 Israeli captives and four Thai nationals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after a delay of seven hours as the group claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce.

The impasse was resolved following mediation by Qatar and Egypt on Saturday, the second day of the pause in hostilities in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Israel released a second batch of 39 Palestinians – six women and 33 children – from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said on Saturday.

A third phase of the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners under the truce deal is expected later on Sunday.

Ghazi Hamad, member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera that his group was committed to the four-day truce agreement and is willing to release all captives in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on X that 13 Israelis and four foreign nationals had been handed over to the ICRC. They were on their way to the Rafah border crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt before travelling to Israel.

The 17 captives had arrived in Israel, the Israeli Army posted on X.

“After undergoing an initial medical assessment, they will continue to be accompanied by IDF [Israeli Army] soldiers as they make their way to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families,” it said.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said that the 17 released were “taken to an airbase in southern Israel for an initial check where they will then be flown to several different hospitals throughout the Tel Aviv area for additional medical and psychological checks”.

The Israeli captives included six adult women and seven children and teenagers, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office. The hostages were released after spending 50 days in captivity, it said.