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International

Israel-Gaza: More hostages and prisoners swapped on fifth day of truce

It's just gone 02:00 in Israel and Gaza, and midnight in London. Here's a look at what's been going on over the last several hours.

Hostages released

  • Israel says another group of hostages are now back in Israeli territory, having been released from Gaza this evening. Ten of them are Israeli citizens and two are Thai nationals
  • A total of 81 hostages held in Gaza have now been released during a truce between Israel and Hamas. Sixty-one of them are Israeli, and all of them are women and children
  • The son of 75-year-old Ada Sagi - who was among those released tonight - told the BBC before her release that the anxious wait for news amounted to "psychological terror"
  • Former Hamas hostages have been giving details of the conditions in which they were allegedly held - speaking of crowded underground hallways, meagre food and benches for beds

Prisoners released

  • As part of its deal with Hamas, Israel has released 30 more Palestinian prisoners tonight - bringing the total to 180
  • Qatar - a key mediator of the deal - said before their release that it expected half of the group to be women and the other half to be minors. A 14-year-old boy, told Al-Jazeera he had been warned not to leave his house or celebrate his freedom in case he was arrested again
  • Those released have been chosen from a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners compiled by Israel, accused of a range of offenses from stone-throwing to incitement to attempted murder

Possibility of extended truce

  • Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners
  • A spokesman for the Israeli government flagged that it would be open to an additional five days of truce under the current hostage-prisoner exchange agreement
  • Gazans have been using the pause in fighting to search for loved ones. Hamas officials in Gaza say some 1,500 people are missing and 14,500 others have been killed during an Israeli military campaign
  • Hamas crossed the border and killed 1,200 people in Israel on 7 October, with about 240 taken hostage

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