According to Al Jazeera, on November 26, Hamas released 17 more hostages, including 13 Israelis, 3 Thai citizens and 1 Russian-Israeli. The Thai Foreign Ministry confirmed that the 3 Thai citizens who were released were all in good health. In return, Israel released 39 Palestinians. So far, a total of 175 prisoners have been released by both sides.
Israeli troops stand guard in Gaza during ceasefire
The youngest hostage released on November 26 was Abigail Edan (4 years old), an American citizen of Israeli origin whose parents were killed in the conflict. AP quoted US President Joe Biden as saying what Edan had to endure was "unimaginable", while revealing that Washington's goal was to extend the ceasefire agreement for as long as possible.
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Hamas said it would like to extend the truce if serious efforts are made to increase the number of Palestinians released, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported on November 27 via its national radio channel that Israel was considering extending the ceasefire by one day in exchange for the release of 10 prisoners. Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken to Biden about the hostage issue, stressing that he welcomed the extension of the temporary ceasefire. However, according to Netanyahu, when the truce ends, Israel will continue to focus on eliminating Hamas.
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