The Israeli military has confirmed that the militant-Islamist group Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages and four foreign hostages in the second round of swaps under the truce deal.
Israel said the Red Cross transferred the freed hostages to Egypt on Saturday night. The four foreign hostages were Thai nationals, Egyptian state television reported.
Hamas said the release of the Thai hostages came about after lobbying from Turkey.
"In response to the efforts of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has completed the release of Thai detainees inside the Gaza Strip," the militant group said in a statement.
The handover came hours later than expected after Hamas accused Israel of violating the exchange agreement, which Israeli officials denied.
