6 Israeli hostages from Gaza Strip handed over to Red Cross: Israeli army

Six Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip were handed over to the Red Cross and transferred home, the Israeli army said late Thursday.

They were among the seventh batch of hostages to be released as part of a hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas under an extended humanitarian pause.

Earlier in the day, Hamas released two hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza City's central Palestine Square.

The latest group of hostages was handed over in the southern part of the Gaza Strip near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

''In accordance with the terms of the 7th day of the humanitarian pause agreement, 30 Palestinians will be released today in exchange for the release of 10 hostages in Gaza. The 2 Russian citizens released yesterday were counted on this list,'' Majed al-Ansari, the official spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on X.

''Palestinians released from Israeli prisons include 23 minors & 7 women,'' he added.

Israel and Hamas agreed early Thursday to extend the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip for another day to continue releasing hostages. It was set to end Thursday morning.

Since the initial pause began last week, 66 Israeli prisoners have been released over the course of six days in exchange for 210 Palestinians.