Israel & Hamas Complete 2nd Prisoner Swap

BYCole BlakePublished on November 26, 2023518 Views

The crowd surrounds a Red Cross bus carrying Palestinians prisoners released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on November 26, 2023. Israel's prison service said 39 Palestinian detainees were released on November 26, 2023 under the terms of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The announcement came after 13 Israeli hostages were freed in the Palestinian territory under the deal, along with three Thais and a Russian-Israeli dual citizen. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas and Israel have continued with another day of hostage releases.

Hamas and Israel completed a second prisoner swap on Saturday night. In doing so, Hamas freed 13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals while Israel set 39 Palestinians free. The hostage exchange is part of a four-day pause in the war between the two sides. Hamas originally captured around 240 hostages during their attack on October 7.

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Friday that the first hostages “underwent an initial medical assessment inside Israeli territory” and soldiers would accompany them to hospitals “where they will be reunited with their families.” According to NBC News, a senior Israeli government official told the outlet that the agreement came as a result of pressure from President Joe Biden. “Just a couple of days ago, Biden came with the final deal saying a five-day pause and Netanyahu said four days,” they told the outlet. “This deal was a Biden deal, not a Netanyahu deal.”

Israel Releases Dozens Of Palestinian Prisoners

People gesture from a Red Cross bus carrying Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza. Strip, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on November 26, 2023. Israel's prison service said 39 Palestinian detainees were released on November 26, 2023 under the terms of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The announcement came after 13 Israeli hostages were freed in the Palestinian territory under the deal, along with three Thais as well as a Russian-Israeli dual citizen. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Not everyone has had a positive response to the hostage deal. Former President Donald Trump took a subtle shot at Biden while discussing the agreement on Saturday. “Has anybody noticed that Hamas has returned people from other Countries but, so far, has not returned one American Hostage?” he wrote on Truth Social. “There is only one reason for that, NO RESPECT FOR OUR COUNTRY OR OUR LEADERSHIP. This is a very sad and dark period of America!”

Hamas is expected to release 50 hostages, while Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the swap. Be on the lookout for further updates on HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.