On September 1, Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, released 13 Israeli hostages along with 11 others, to a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Netanyahu government and the group had agreed to a cease-fire the day before, ending 11 days of fighting. The 13 hostages were released as part of the cease-fire agreement, as well as the 11 others who had been “secondarily” captured. They were all released in exchange for the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. This prisoner exchange was brokered by Qatar and several other Middle Eastern countries.
