The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that it has collected 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas in southern Gaza and that they are currently being transported to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) custody.
A senior Red Cross official told reporters that the freed captives are “in OK condition” and that the convoy is “on our way to the IDF.”
According to the IDF, the Red Cross picked up the hostages from Hamas operatives in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, earlier this morning.
The hostages have been identified as: Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kuperstein, David Cunio, and Ariel Cunio.
The Red Cross convoy is now transporting the group to IDF troops stationed inside Gaza, who will escort them out of the enclave to a military facility near Re’im.
There, the freed hostages will undergo initial physical and psychological evaluations before being reunited with their families.
The Red Cross official said the handover is expected to take place after an approximately 15-minute ride, adding simply: “We are moving.”
With today’s transfer, Hamas is no longer holding any living hostages, the first time since 2014 that no Israelis remain in captivity in Gaza.
Later in the day, Hamas is expected to return the remains of 28 dead hostages. However, the group has informed mediators that it does not know the location of some bodies, which may delay their repatriation to Israel.