Gaza conflict: Red Cross begins 'multi-day' operation to reunite hostages, detainees with families

The Red Cross said it began Friday a multi-day operation to reunite hostages and detainees with their families in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday began carrying out a multi-day operation to facilitate the release and transfer of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian detainees to the West Bank. The operation will include the delivery of additional, much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza," the ICRC said in a statement.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said 12 Thai hostages kidnapped during Hamas's October 7 raids into Israel were released on Friday, hours after a truce in the Israel-Hamas war began.

"It has been confirmed by the security side and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages are already released," he posted on X.

"Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in another hour. Their names and details should be known. Please stay tuned."

Scores of people people were taken hostage by gunmen during last month's wave of cross-border raids into Israel. In the worst attack in Israel's history, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel retaliated with a massive campaign of air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive into Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, claiming lives of more than 15,000 people, thousands of them children.

On Friday, a truce began following weeks of negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Under the agreement, a four-day pause in the fighting should see at least 50 hostages released from Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Two Hamas sources told AFP on Friday that some of the hostages seized in the raids were on Friday handed over to the Red Cross for return to Israel, via Egypt.

Shortly after the Thai prime minister posted on X, a source close to Hamas confirmed to AFP that some Thai hostages had been freed, in addition to hostages released under the deal with Israel.

"Hamas made a gesture to also release some Thai foreigners," the source close to the Islamist movement said.