Day 50 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Nov. 25

Qatar says that 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli captives in a second phase of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

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Live updates (all times EDT):

Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023

5:38 pm: Second phase of hostage-prisoner exchange complete after delay over aid

Israel and Hamas carried out the second phase of a planned hostage-prisoner swap early Sunday morning after a dispute over the terms of the truce agreement initially delayed the transfer.

Thirteen Israeli hostages — eight children and five women — were freed Saturday evening. The Israeli military announced that representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross had accompanied the released hostages from Gaza to Egypt and then on to Israel late Saturday local time.

The group was released in the framework of the Qatar-mediated deal with Hamas that included the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who are residents of east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Four Thai nationals were also released on Saturday evening in a separate release deal.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid Al Ansari confirmed the transfer in a post on X.

“13 Israelis and 4 foreigners were received by ICRC and [are] on their way to Rafah,” Ansari wrote.

Earlier in the day, a Qatari delegation arrived in Israel to discuss a possible extension of the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas that started on Friday, reported Haaretz.

1:00 pm: Qatar says obstacles to second hostage release overcome

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that hurdles in the hostage deal have been "overcome through Qatari-Egyptian communications."

“We managed to overcome all obstacles through Qatari and Egyptian contacts,” the ministry spokesperson said, according to Egyptian media outlets.

"Tonight, 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli captives, in addition to 7 foreigners who are outside the agreement," the spokesperson said.

10:30 am: Israel says it shot down drone near Red Sea

The Israeli military said it successfully shot down an incoming drone over the Red Sea close to the southern city of Eilat.

The downing of the drone follows a series of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen targeting Israel. 

7:00 am: Hamas delays release of second group of hostages

Hamas said Saturday that it was delaying the release of a second group of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners until Israel complies with a truce agreement.

The Palestinian militant group's armed wing said the issues of aid deliveries to the northern Gaza Strip and the selection criteria for prisoner releases were holding up the handover.

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