The latest releases of hostages held by Hamas as part of the ceasefire with Israel is under way in the Gaza Strip.
Soldier Agam Berger was handed to the Red Cross in a stage-managed event after being brought out from a scene of rubble by gunmen in Jabalia, north Gaza. The 20-year-old was then transferred to Israeli forces and taken to Israel.
The hostages being released are three Israelis and five Thai nationals.
It is the third such release as part of the deal, which also involves the freeing of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel in exchange.
A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners are due to be freed on Thursday.
The releases scheduled for Thursday mean 15 hostages will have been freed since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January.
Two hundred and fifty one were taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people. The attack triggered a war which has devastated Gaza.
Israel’s military offensive killed more than 47,300 Palestinians in the territory, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
So far, 290 Palestinian prisoners – ranging from those serving long sentences for bombings and other attacks to teenagers held without charge – have been released since the ceasefire began. Most have returned to the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, while about 70 of the most serious offenders have been deported.
Two more Israeli civilians – Arbel Yehud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80 – are also due to be freed by Hamas on Thursday. The names of the five Thai nationals who will also be released have not been confirmed.
