There were 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals released, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. There were seven Israeli children ranging in age from 3 to 16, and six Israeli women ranging in age from 18 to 67 released, the office announced.
Among those freed was 9-year-old Emily Hand, an Israeli-Irish girl who was initially believed to have been killed by Hamas.Â
“Emily has come back to us! We can’t find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days,” her family said in a statement to CBS News.
Another of those released Saturday was a teen girl whose mother is still being held captive, and a 21-year-old woman who was abducted from the Supernova music festival, where at least 260 people were slaughtered in Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage.
Two teen siblings whose mother was killed by Hamas were also freed.Â
The hostages were initially transferred by the Red Cross across southern Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt.
The 13 Israeli hostages were then flown to Israel early Sunday morning for medical evaluations, before being reunited with family.Â
Their release came after an hours-long delay Saturday when Hamas accused Israel of not complying with the cease-fire’s terms.Â
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