‼️ Hostage swaps resume after Israel submits to Hamas demands Israel freed 369 Palestinian hostages today — the biggest release so far, bringing the total of released Palestinian hostages to 985. In exchange, Hamas has released 3 male Israeli captives, incl. US & Russian citizens. The Palestinian hostages include 333 people abducted from Gaza during the genocide + 36 from the West Bank who were sentenced to life in captivity (24 will be exiled to Egypt). Hamas had decided earlier this week to pause swaps until Israel fully complied w/ the ceasefire’s terms after repeated violations by attacking Gaza and restricting the entry of aid & other resources. Netanyahu & Trump initially threatened to resume the genocide but Israeli officials eventually promised mediators to implement a ‘humanitarian protocol’ today. This would allow construction equipment & temporary housing into Gaza, earning Hamas a significant win in securing Gaza’s needs, but so far the equipment hasn’t entered.