13 Israelis among first hostages released as cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war kicks off

A four-day cease-fire began Friday morning in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, thanks to an agreement that the nation of Qatar helped broker. The truce not only entails a lull in bombing, but also the release of dozens of hostages.

So far, 24 hostages have been released, according to CNN, which cited the Red Cross and a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson. That tally includes 13 Israelis, 10 Thai citizens and one individual from the Philippines. Another 26 Israeli hostages are reportedly expected to be freed over the next four days. In return, Israel has promised the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

There have been no reports of fighting since the cease-fire kicked off, according to the Associated Press. The war began 49 days ago on Oct. 7, after “several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers.”

Weeks of strikes in retaliation have killed nearly 15,000 people, according to the ABC News, who cited the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. “As of Nov. 3, 67% of all deaths in Gaza were made up of women and children while thousands more have been injured, according to several U.N. agencies, including the UNRWA,” Bill Hutchinson reported.

Health officials in Gaza have said they can no longer accurately count the dead due to the collapse of the local health care system. Thousands of individuals remain missing.