The militant group Hamas has started releasing hostages to the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC), marking the first tangible step in a high-stakes deal brokered with Israel.  According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the first seven Israeli hostages were handed over Monday morning and were escorted to Israel under military protection, Meduza reported in the morning of October 13.

Euronews reports that according to Israeli authorities, out of the 48 individuals captured by militants on October 7, 2023, only 20 are confirmed to be alive.

A second group of 13 hostages were reportedly released lthe same day later..

Once handed over to the Red Cross and Israeli forces, the freed hostages were transferred to a military base in Re'im for reunification with their families.

The release is part of a wider deal reached last week between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel has reportedly agreed to free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and approximately 1,700 residents of Gaza who were detained following the October 2023 attacks.

The specific timeline for the release of Palestinian prisoners has not yet been made public.

Both sides agreed that the exchange process would be conducted discreetly through intermediaries and the Red Cross, without public ceremonies or media coverage.

Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya stated that the agreement also includes the reopening of the Rafah border crossing in both directions.

The remains of the remaining 28 hostages are unlikely to be recovered the same day. A multinational task force will be deployed to locate and retrieve the bodies of those killed, with a 72-hour window for the operation, according to Gal Hirsch, Israel’s special envoy for hostages and missing persons.

The landmark agreement between Israel and Hamas was reportedly facilitated through the peace efforts led by former U.S. President Donald Trump.