Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades hands over 13 Israeli captives to Red Cross

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - The Hamas group's armed wing handed over 13 Israeli captives held in Gaza at midnight Saturday to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a prisoner swap deal with Israel.

"In the frame of the humanitarian pause, the Al-Qassam Brigades handed over 13 Israelis to the Red Cross," Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

It said seven foreigners were also released and handed to the ICRC.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN cited ICRC that said the second batch of Israeli captives are on their way to the Rafah border crossing.

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, the first day of the four-day humanitarian pause.

Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar