The 11 hostages released earlier by Hamas have been on Israeli soil for some time now, the command of the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) confirmed this evening.

These are nine children (among them two little girls aged just three) and two women who were abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the October 7 attack. The children’s fathers are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

In the Nir Oz kibbutz, about 30 people were murdered, while more than 70 were kidnapped by gunmen.

The representative of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the 11 Israeli hostages have dual citizenship: three with French, two with German and six with Argentinian.

At the same time, 33 Palestinians – 30 children and three women – who were held in Israeli prisons were released, he added.

He expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations would bear fruit, securing a new extension of the truce that would allow for the exchange of more prisoners between Israel and Hamas, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to the beleaguered population of the Gaza Strip.

There are also some Egyptian reports that six other Thai hostages will be released in addition to the 11 hostages, but this has not been confirmed at this time.