Our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has moved here.
November 24, 2023 Israel-Hamas war
By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Thom Poole, Aditi Sangal, Tori B. Powell, Adrienne Vogt, Elise Hammond and Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated 12:25 a.m. ET, November 25, 2023
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Who are the hostages who were released on Friday?
From CNN's Tara John, Lauren Izso and Tamar Michaelis
The first group of hostages released Friday by Hamas under a deal with Israel included 13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen.
Here is what we know about the freed Israelis:
- Yafa Adar, 85: Adar is a founder of the Nir Oz kibbutz and is the oldest person to be taken hostage on October 7. Her eldest grandson was also abducted, and is still held hostage, said a Nir Oz spokesperson.
- Margalit Moses, 77: The mother of three and grandmother of 10 is a retired biology teacher. She is also a cancer survivor who has diabetes, “fibromyalgia, and takes many additional medications,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel.
- Hana Katzir, 76: She is also a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz and the wife of the late Rami Katzir, 79, who was killed in their home. Her son Elad was also kidnapped and is still in Gaza.
- Adina Moshe, 72: The retired educator and Nir Oz resident is a mother of four and grandmother of 12. Her husband David (Sa’id) Moshe was killed in their home on October 7.
- Ohad Munder, 9: The kibbutz spokesperson for Nir Oz said Munder “came to Nir Oz to visit family” when he was abducted alongside family members.
- Doron Katz Asher, 34, Raz Asher, 4, Aviv Asher, 2: Doron visited Nir Oz with her family and was kidnapped with her two daughters, Aviv and Raz, as well as other family members.
Filipino national released by Hamas doing “better than expected,” says family of employer
From CNN’s Manveena Suri
One of the hostages released by Hamas on Friday, a Filipino national who had been working as a caregiver in Israel, is doing “better than expected,” according to the son of the man he was caring for during the October 7 attacks.
Avishay Ben Zvi’s father, Amitai, was killed in the Hamas attack on his kibbutz while his caregiver Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco was taken hostage.
Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Zvi said his brother had spoken to Pacheco and that he was OK.
“He was talking to his wife tonight and so better than expected, I would say,” said Zvi, referring to photos of Pacheco FaceTiming with his wife in the Philippines.
“They're going to do some medical tests and emotional tests and treatment but yes, most likely he will go to meet his family,” Zvi said.
“It actually came as a surprise, because we knew that there were 13 being released, but they were all Israelis with the Israeli ID. We knew that there was some guys from Thailand. We saw his picture in the videos this morning and then among the brothers we talked about it, we verified with his wife later. So, we were very, very happy obviously to see him but it was a surprise to us. We didn't know.”
Zvi said while the family was very happy that Pacheco was released, there was concern over the remaining hostages.
“It's the duty of the country, of the state of Israel to release each and every one of them,” said Zvi.
Egypt hails success of first day of truce between Israel and Hamas
From CNN's Eleni Giokos and Mohammed Tawfeeq
Egypt said it was pleased with the first day of the truce between Israel and Hamas, part of the four-day pause in fighting under the hostage release deal.
Diaa Rashwan, the chairman of Egypt's State Information Service, pointed to Israel's agreement to stop flying surveillance drones over Gaza during the truce as one reason it got off to a successful start.
Rashwan also said increased deliveries of medical supplies, food and fuel to Gaza residents was another factor that would help maintain the truce.
Earlier on Friday, the United Nations said 137 trucks of humanitarian aid were driven into the enclave. The relief convoy marked the largest delivery of aid since Israel enforced a total blockade of Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack.
Egypt also allowed at least 134 Palestinians who had been stranded in Egypt to return to the Gaza Strip at their request, Rashwan’s statement said.
Philippines president confirms one national among hostages released by Hamas
From CNN’s Lucas Lilieholm and Teele Rebane in Hong Kong
Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos confirmed the release of a Philippine national, Gelienor "Jimmy" Pacheco, on Friday.
“I salute the work of the Philippine Foreign Service in securing his release, and once again thank the State of Qatar for their invaluable assistance in making Jimmy’s release possible,” Marcos said.
Pacheco was among the first group of 24 hostages released by Hamas under the agreement struck with Israel.
The whereabouts of one other Philippine citizen, Noralyn Babadilla, remains unknown.
Released Palestinian prisoners celebrated as they return to West Bank
From CNN's Celine Alkhaldi, Nada Bashir and Shirin Zia Faqiri
Palestinians released from Israeli prisons were met with celebrations on Friday evening as they returned to their hometowns and villages in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
In videos obtained by CNN, the released prisoners can be seen paraded through the streets, carried on people’s shoulders as crowds wave the Palestinian flag, as well as that of Hamas.
Thirty-nine people were released Friday under the deal between Israel and Hamas, which also saw the release of 24 hostages from Gaza, and the start of a four-day truce in the enclave.
Twenty-two women were among those released, as well as two girls. Fifteen teenage boys up to the age of 18 were also released — the youngest aged 14.
What they were imprisoned for: There are few more sensitive issues for Palestinians in the occupied territories than the issue of prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Some are serving sentences for attacks on Israelis, while many others are being held in administrative detention, a widely criticized practice that sees people held without knowing the charges against them, and without any legal process.
Aseel El-Titi, a 23-year-old prisoner released on Friday, told CNN she had only found out that morning she was being released. But, she said, her joy was tempered by the knowledge of what was happening in Gaza.
"Our joy is incomplete. There are martyrs because of the situation in Gaza. The number of martyrs in Gaza has become greater than the number of prisoners [in Israeli jails],” El-Titi said.
“Despite this, the Palestinian people are steadfast, and Hamas is trying to release all the prisoners and end the occupation," she said.
Wael Ahmad, a bystander at the Beitunia crossing in the occupied West Bank, where the prisoners were driven after their release, told CNN he also found it hard to celebrate when so many had been killed in Gaza.
"This celebration is wrong. I am torn to pieces,” Ahmad said.
More releases to come: The agreement struck between Israel and Hamas will see three more days of prisoner releases.
For Hamas, securing the freedom of an expected 150 incarcerated Palestinians represents an opportunity to burnish its credentials in the West Bank as the flagbearer of Palestinian resistance.
Watch: One Palestinian was detained when she was 16. This video shows the reunion with her mother after 10 years.
Israel says it's received a list of hostages to be released on Saturday
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv
The Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces have received the second list of Israeli hostages due to be released on Saturday as part of the framework agreed with Hamas, the office of Israel's prime minister wrote in a statement on Friday.
Security officials are reviewing the list of names, the statement read. An Israeli source told CNN there are children on the list of hostages expected to be released on Saturday.
Israel's Hostage Coordinator Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch has given the information to the families of the hostages, the statement added.
The list will not be released to the public until the hostages are safely in Israeli hands.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.
11 released foreign nationals transferred to Israeli medical center, foreign ministry says
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv
Eleven foreign nationals — 10 men and one woman — freed by Hamas in Gaza are spending the night at Shamir-Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The medical center is located in the Israeli town of Beer Yaakov, southeast of Tel Aviv,
The 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen will remain at the hospital until medical examinations are complete, the ministry said in a statement.
“An initial examination suggests [the freed hostages] seem well,” Dr. Osnat Levtzion Korach, the medical center’s director general said in a video statement. “They are very glad to be somewhere safe and are thankful for the treatment and attention," he added.
“We’re very glad and proud to take a part in this effort,” the doctor said.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the room" during hostage family reunions, Israeli health official says
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman and Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room” when five hostages were reunited with their families, Israel’s Chief Nurse Dr. Shoshy Goldberg said at a news conference at Wolfson Medical Center near Tel Aviv.
The five elderly women were received in a specially prepared complex for them and their families. The reunions as a “very emotional and exciting event,” Goldberg said Friday.
Videos provided by the hospital showed people cheering as ambulances carrying three of the women transported them from a helicopter.
“I promise to the returning women and their families: You are finally home, in a safe place," said Wolfson Medical Center Director General Dr. Anat Engel.
