A third group of hostages was released by Hamas on Sunday (26), during a temporary truce in the Gaza Strip War, after weeks of conflict.
As of Monday (27), 58 hostages have been freed by the Palestinian militant group during the first three days of the truce: Thirteen Israeli women and children were released each day, according to the terms of the agreement, along with citizens from other countries, including Thailand, Poland, the Philippines, and Russia.
The release of the group came after meticulous negotiations and coordination between the conflicting parties with the help of foreign nations.
According to the agreement, Israel releases three Palestinians from prison for each Israeli hostage allowed to leave Gaza. So far, 117 Palestinians have been released, mostly women and minors, many of whom were detained but never charged. A bus carrying 39 Palestinian teenagers released from Israeli prisons in the third round of prisoner exchanges arrived in downtown Ramallah on Sunday night.
On Monday (27), Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their fragile truce for another two days, an act of ongoing cooperation that could allow for additional aid flow to Gaza and the release of more hostages, prisoners, and detainees than initially expected.
The extension comes as the four-day truce, which was set to expire on Tuesday (28), has proven largely successful in its stated goal of bringing the hostages back home.