Seven hostages freed in first round of final living hostage release

The first seven of the 20 living hostages who were held in captivity by Hamas have been freed and transferred to the Israel Defense Forces.

The hostages were first taken to the Red Cross in Gaza City on Monday morning before being transported to the custody of the IDF at an army facility at the Re’im military base, reported the Times of Israel. The remaining 13 hostages are expected to be released later on Monday morning.