Egypt said 12 Thai nationals detained by Hamas since October 7 in the Gaza Strip will be released. The release comes in addition to the 13 hostages who are due to be taken Friday afternoon as part of the agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, the head of the state information service, Diaa Rashwan, said in a statement, relayed by CNN.
This information was confirmed on the social network X (formerly Twitter) by the Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin.
"It has been confirmed by the Security Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages have been released," he wrote shortly before 15 p.m. "Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in an hour. Their names and details should be known," he added.
ได้รับการยืนยันจากฝ่ายความมั่นคงและกระทรวงต่างประเทศว่า มีตัวประกันชาวไทย 12 คนได้ถูกปล่อยตัวออกมาแล้วขณะนี้เจ้าหน้าที่สถานทูตกำลังไปรับตัวอีก 1 ชั่วโมงน่าจะทราบชื่อและรายละเอียดต่างๆครับกรุณาคอยติดตาม
— Srettha Thavisin (@Thavisin) November 24, 2023
According to official data, apart from Israel, nationals of 26 countries were among the hostages, including 26 Thais.
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The Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza is preparing to receive hostages freed by Hamas for transfer to the Israeli side. The agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, on the release of 50 hostages in exchange for a four-day humanitarian truce - which began this Friday at 6 a.m. in France - and a return of Palestinian prisoners, should allow for the delivery of life-saving aid to the inhabitants of Gaza.