Israel-Hamas war: Initial group of 24 hostages released

Palestinians released from Israeli prisons were met with celebrations on Friday evening as they returned to their hometowns and villages in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In videos obtained by CNN, the released prisoners can be seen paraded through the streets, carried on people’s shoulders as crowds wave the Palestinian flag, as well as that of Hamas.

Thirty-nine people were released Friday under the deal between Israel and Hamas, which also saw the release of 24 hostages from Gaza, and the start of a four-day truce in the enclave. 

Twenty-two women were among those released, as well as two girls. Fifteen teenage boys up to the age of 18 were also released — the youngest age 14. 

What they were imprisoned for: There are few more sensitive issues for Palestinians in the occupied territories than the issue of prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Some are serving sentences for attacks on Israelis, while many others are being held in administrative detention, a widely criticized practice that sees people held without knowing the charges against them, and without any legal process.

Aseel El-Titi, a 23-year-old prisoner released on Friday, told CNN she had only found out that morning she was being released. But, she said, her joy was tempered by the knowledge of what was happening in Gaza.

“Despite this, the Palestinian people are steadfast, and Hamas is trying to release all the prisoners and end the occupation," she said. 

Wael Ahmad, a bystander at the Beitunia crossing in the occupied West Bank, where the prisoners were driven after their release, told CNN he also found it hard to celebrate when so many had been killed in Gaza.

More releases to come: The agreement struck between Israel and Hamas will see three more days of prisoner releases.

For Hamas, securing the freedom of an expected 150 incarcerated Palestinians represents an opportunity to burnish its credentials in the West Bank as the flagbearer of Palestinian resistance.

The Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces have received the second list of Israeli hostages due to be released on Saturday as part of the framework agreed with Hamas, the office of Israel's prime minister wrote in a statement on Friday.

Security officials are reviewing the list of names, the statement read. An Israeli source told CNN there are children on the list of hostages expected to be released on Saturday.

Israel's Hostage Coordinator Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch has given the information to the families of the hostages, the statement added.  

The list will not be released to the public until the hostages are safely in Israeli hands.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.

Eleven foreign nationals — 10 men and one woman — freed by Hamas in Gaza are spending the night at Shamir-Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

The medical center is located in the Israeli town of Beer Yaakov, southeast of Tel Aviv,

The 10 Thai citizens and one Philippine citizen will remain at the hospital until medical examinations are complete, the ministry said in a statement.

“We’re very glad and proud to take a part in this effort,” the doctor said.

The Israeli military is warning that the implementation of the hostage release agreement will be complicated and "nothing is over until it’s over."  

"The days ahead of us will be complicated, nothing is over until it’s over. We should be prepared," Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Friday.

He said the freeing of 24 hostages from Gaza, including 13 Israeli citizens, is "a great relief," but "our hearts are with the hostages that are still being held in Gaza."

The agreement, accompanied by a four-day truce between Hamas and Israel that began on Friday morning, represents the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict.

Asked about the possibility that senior Hamas officials might attempt to flee Gaza during the truce, Hagari said, "We’re monitoring everything necessary, and are monitoring senior Hamas officials, in Gaza and anywhere in the world."

Twenty-four people held hostage for nearly seven weeks in the Gaza Strip were released Friday as part of a truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, according to officials.

The group includes 10 Thai citizens, 13 Israelis and one Philippine citizen, according to Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari. They are now in Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday. 

In addition, 39 Palestinian women and teenagers were freed from Israeli jails and were on their way to the West Bank.

A total of 50 hostages could be freed over the four-day pause in fighting, while Palestinian prisoners are also due to be released in waves. 

The pause and releases followed weeks of tense negotiations – and took several agonizing days to come into effect. The agreement represents the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict.

Here's what else you know about Friday's developments:

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland welcomed the implementation of the hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"I also welcome the release of a number of foreign workers held in Gaza. I look forward to additional releases expected over the coming days," Wennesland added.

Israel and Hamas reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza that began on Friday. The Israel Prison Service announced on Friday night that 39 Palestinian prisoners were released as part of the hostage agreement

Wennesland said the pause in fighting "went into effect with relative calm, allowing truckloads of aid to go into Gaza."

"These developments are a significant humanitarian breakthrough that we need to build on," according to Wennesland.

Earlier Friday, the UN said 137 trucks of humanitarian aid were driven into the Gaza Strip, marking the largest aid convoy that has moved into the enclave since October 7. 

Wennesland also called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others in Gaza.