Hamas Releases First Group of Hostages in Gaza Cease-Fire Deal With Israelthedigitalchaps

Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages taken from Israel, a diplomatic breakthrough after seven weeks of war in Gaza, as the focus now shifts to freeing others held captive and maintaining a fighting pause in the strip.

The release of the hostages, which keeps a fragile cease-fire on track, was the result of weeks of negotiations over a deal between Israel and Hamas that was brokered by Qatar and Egypt with the help of the U.S.