Israel-Hamas Flash Report 25NOV23 15:45 PST - 18 Hostages Confirmed Released and Cease-Fire Update

Thirteen Israelis and five foreign nationals being held hostage by Hamas are confirmed as being released. Another 39 Palestinians have reportedly been released into the West Bank. It is important to note that there was a discrepancy with numbers yesterday that were later clarified, so we ask for people not to jump to conclusions on where the two other hostages are. It is extremely hard to figure out the facts.

The 13 Israelis released include one pensioner (elderly), four adults, and eight children. Hila Rotem, 12, was not released with her mother, Raya. Israel is accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the agreement, and it is reported that part of today's delay was due to Hamas's refusal to account for Raya Rotem. Again, we ask that people don't jump to conclusions as there were supposed to be 20 people released today, so there may be more information coming. 

Four Thai nationals and Irish-Israeli citizen Emily Hand, nine years old, were also released. Hand had previously been reported as deceased by the IDF. 

Twelve of the 13 Israelis were transferred to the Sheba Medical Center for medical and psychological evaluation and treatment. Maya Regev, 22 (also reported as 21), was taken to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba because she was in serious condition but not suffering from life-threatening injuries. Regev was shot and then kidnapped from the Nova Music on October 7. Her brother remains a hostage, and their family has requested that their privacy be respected. We will provide no further updates on Regev or her brother unless they come from the family or their official spokesperson.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released official numbers on the amount of humanitarian aid delivered on November 24. Two hundred trucks were "dispatched" from Nitzana to the Rafah crossing, and UNRWA offloaded 137 trucks at the "reception point" within the Gaza Strip. The shipment included 129,000 liters of fuel and four truckloads of "cooking gas," the first shipment of cooking fuel since October 7. Two UN convoys arrived in northern Gaza, providing limited humanitarian aid at two UNRWA facilities being used as shelters. Based on the report from the UN, the claim by Hamas that Israel violated the cease-fire agreement by delaying the shipment of aid is unfounded.

OCHA also reported there were no major incidents recorded on November 24 through 22:00 Tel Aviv time, aligning with our assessment that there weren't any major cease-fire violations during the first day.

While Hamas accused Israel of violating the cease-fire on November 24 by firing on at least one group of Palestinians moving north toward Gaza City, OCHA noted that the movement was against the cease-fire agreement. OCHA used careful wording, stating that it was "claimed" one person was killed and "dozens" injured after the IDF fired using small arms and deployed tear gas. We had previously reported that Hamas claimed two people were killed and labeled the incident as a cease-fire agreement violation. Based on the new information from OCHA, that was in error.

Israel has released information on some of the 39 Palestinian prisoners being released today, but we are waiting for the full list.

While the second day was very rocky, the available evidence indicates there weren't any significant cease-fire violations for the second day in a row.