Thirty-nine more Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails as Hamas freed the third group of hostages, including 14 Israelis, under the four-day truce on Sunday.
The release put the fragile Israel and Hamas cease-fire back on track and the U.S. hoped it could be extended.
Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel's army said one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Center said Elma Avraham, 84, was in life-threatening condition as "a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed."
The youngest hostage released was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Three more Thai nationals were released. Separately, Hamas said it released a Russian hostage "in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin."
The three Thai nationals were undergoing health checks at a medical center in Israel and brought the total number of Thai hostages released to 17, Thailand's Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said it was pursuing efforts for the safe release of the 15 remaining Thai hostages. Thais working in Israel are mostly employed as semi-skilled farm laborers, at wages considerably higher than those at they can earn at home.
The released Palestinian prisoners were children and young men, ages 15-19, largely accused of public disorder, property damage and in some cases causing or threatening physical harm to Israeli officers by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Many were scooped up from protests and confrontations with troops. In turn, many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) bus took 34 Palestinian detainees from the Israeli Ofer prison to Al-Bireh in the central West Bank.
WAFA said hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the Al-Bireh municipality square to celebrate the release of the detainees.
The remaining five detainees from occupied East Jerusalem were released from the Al-Masqoubiyeh prison where their families received them.
A fourth exchange is expected on Monday – the last day of the cease-fire during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. Most are women and minors.
International mediators led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar were trying to extend the cease-fire that began Friday.
Hamas for the first time said it would seek to extend the deal by looking to release a larger number of hostages. Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had spoken to Biden and reiterated his offer to extend the cease-fire by an additional day for every 10 hostages Hamas releases. But he said Israel would resume its offensive "with all of our might” once the truce expires.
Ahead of the latest hostage release, Netanyahu donned body armor and visited the Gaza Strip, where he spoke with troops.
"At the end of the day we will return everyone,” he said of the hostages, adding that "we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not clear where he went inside Gaza.
This is the first significant pause in seven weeks of indiscriminate Israeli violence. More than 14,500 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
Israeli casualties, in comparison, are at around 1,200.
