Moment Israel high-fives armed Hamas terrorists hostage as they are loaded into Red Cross trucks bound for Egypt, hours before ceasefire deal ends and Gaza braces for further bombardment

Shocking footage released this evening shows Israeli hostages giving high-fives to masked Hamas gunmen as they were handed over to the Red Cross during the sixth and apparently final ceasefire, which is set to end in just a few hours.

The extended ceasefire expires at 7 a.m. if Hamas does not send a list of at least 10 women and children they plan to release.

A young female hostage was seen enthusiastically saying “goodbye” to a masked and armed Hamas gunman, while an older Israeli hostage reached out to high-five another gunman.

She was then seen high-fiving a third gunman before boarding a Red Cross van that took her and the other hostages to Egypt, where they were handed over to the IDF.

The young girl was then seen smiling as she said “ma’assalamah,” the Arabic word used as a farewell that directly means “Peace be upon you.”

The two seen on the tape appeared to be among the 12 Israeli and four Thai hostages, all of whom are on their way back to Israel, released on the sixth day of the precarious and temporary ceasefire.

Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said in a message to

The names of the 10 Israeli hostages released under the ceasefire are as follows: Liat Atzili, 49, Yarden Roman Gat, 36, Raz Ben Ami, 57, Raaya Rotem, 54, Liam Or, 18 , Ofir Engel, 17, Amit Shani, 16, Gali Tarshanksy, 13, Moran Stela Yanai, 40, and Itai Regev, 18.

A number of the hostages have dual nationality: one minor is from the Netherlands, three adults from Germany and one adult from the US.

Six of the hostages are believed to be from Kibbutz Be’eri, the site of one of the deadliest settlement massacres on October 7, where at least 130 people were massacred by Hamas terrorists.

The spokesperson said that 30 Palestinians, consisting of 16 children and 14 women, would be released from Israeli prisons in return.

It comes hours after two elderly Israeli hostages were returned to Israeli forces earlier today in a deal negotiated “outside the framework of the agreement”, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.

Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73, both of whom have dual Israeli-Russian citizenship, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the deadly Hamas raid on October 7.

Yelena’s son Sasha and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen remain in Hamas custody, while her husband, Vitaly, was sadly killed on the day of the deadly attacks.

In addition to Yelena and Irena, four Thai citizens were released.

According to the Times of Israel, six of the hostages released under the deal are from Kibbutz Be’eri.

Settlement members jubilantly celebrated the news of the release of their loved ones.

Despite the joyful scenes, the deadline for extending the ceasefire is fast approaching.

The IDF said tonight that it would resume fighting if Hamas did not send an official list of the hostages it plans to release by 7 a.m.

Israel would demand the release of at least 10 hostages to extend the deal, in addition to the 97 released so far under the extended ceasefire deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv early Thursday morning, his third trip to the region since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, and was due to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending the temporary truce and increase humanitarian aid. Gaza.

“As we look over the next few days, we will be focused on … doing what we can to extend the pause so that we can get more hostages out and more humanitarian aid in,” Blinken said this evening during a stop in Brussels. .

Earlier today, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was “hopeful” that the temporary ceasefire could be extended.

“Qatar remains hopeful that the progress made in recent days can be continued and that a further extension of the humanitarian pause agreement can be reached,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe,” and he and others called for a ceasefire to replace the temporary truce.

“Intensive negotiations are taking place to extend the ceasefire, which we strongly welcome. But we believe we need a real humanitarian ceasefire,” he told a meeting of the UN Security Council.

China’s Foreign Ministry said in a position paper on the conflict that the UN Security Council should respond to “the international community’s general call for a comprehensive ceasefire to stop the fighting.”

Two Palestinian officials told Reuters that talks on a possible extension of the ceasefire continued, but no agreement had yet been reached.

A Palestinian official said negotiators are concerned about whether Israeli men would be released under conditions other than the exchange of three Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli hostage imposed on the women and children.

The ceasefire was extended for two days on Monday, hours before the original agreement was due to expire.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement halting fighting in the Gaza Strip, it can be extended beyond the initial four-day deadline, as long as 10 hostages are released for each additional day, and in return three times as many Palestinians are released.

The deal is believed to be on the rocks and appears to be on the verge of unraveling. Hamas had accused Israel of breaching the agreement and Israel threatened to resume its deadly attack on the Gaza Strip.

But mediators were able to bring the case back from the brink, a feat that marked the first-ever public visit by Qatari officials to Israel, according to AP.

More to follow.