Hamas Reportedly Hands Over Fifth Group of Hostages

Hamas has reportedly handed over a fifth group of hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to Egyptian officials, with the report coming after Israel reported the deaths of three soldiers captured during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

The group of 10 hostages was turned over to the Red Cross in Gaza, with Israeli officials expecting them to arrive in the country shortly thereafter, according to The Wall Street Journal, quoting the unnamed Egyptian sources.

Video from southern Gaza on Tuesday showed trucks and vans driving through the streets that were believed to contain some of the hostages, according to Hebrew-language media reports, noted The Times of Israel.

Some of the vehicles in the video, which the site said has not been independently confirmed, had multiple gunmen hanging from their sides.

The hostages' release comes after Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the four-day cease in hostilities for two more days while more hostages are released.

The military Tuesday declared three soldiers as being dead, identifying them as Sgt. Shaked Dahan, 19; Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20; and Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, reported The Times of Israel. They were described as being "fallen soldiers held hostage by a terror group" who were earlier reported as being abducted during the Hamas raids.

The military's chief rabbi declared their deaths based on various findings obtained by the IDF, but reportedly, only Ahimas and Brodski can be buried according to Jewish law.

Dahan's mother, Sigalit Gal, said on Facebook on Tuesday that she is not going to observe the traditional seven-day Jewish mourning period until her son's body is returned to her from Gaza.

"I did for you what I needed to as a mother. I managed to keep you safe and protect you in many situations," she said. "You've been taken from me forever. They took you and didn't bother to return you, not even your body."

Meanwhile, The Palestinian Prisoners' Club on Tuesday published the names of 30 people to be released from Israeli prisons as part of the ongoing hostage release deal, reports Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

One of those is Marwat al-Azza, a journalist living in East Jerusalem, who was indicted Monday for statements made on social media including one that mocked an elderly woman abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Al-Azza, a former freelancer for NBC News, has been accused of incitement to terrorism and identifying with a terrorist organization. "The investigation of Ms. Azza is unrelated to NBC News," said an NBC News spokesperson. "It is based on her personal Facebook posts that predate her time with us as a freelancer. We were not aware of those posts before we engaged Ms. Azza four weeks ago. She will not be contributing to our coverage going forward.”

The latest release of hostages taken by Hamas comes after the Israeli government accused the organization of breaking the cease-fire agreement Tuesday. Several members of the Israel Defense Forces were injured when three explosive devices and gunfire targeted forces in northern Gaza.

"Over the last hour, three explosive devices were detonated adjacent to IDF troops in two different locations in northern Gaza, violating the framework of the operational pause," said the military, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel received a list of 10 hostages that were to be released, with the list being reviewed and the captives' families being notified, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, reported the Jewish News Syndicate.

So far, 50 Israeli women and children, plus one Israeli man, have been freed since the initial four-day cease-fire started on Friday morning, along with 17 Thais, one Filipino, and one American, a child.

Meanwhile, Israel has vowed to resume the war with the "full force" needed to destroy Hamas once the prisoner releases stop, and the Biden administration has told Israel it must avoid "significant further displacement" and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes the offensive.

The administration has also insisted that Israel must operate with more precision in southern Gaza than it has used in its strikes in the north, according to U.S. officials.

With information from The Associated Press.