Hamas terrorists hand over elderly woman in wheelchair & girl clutching pet dog as 12 freed HOURS before truce ends
HAMAS last night handed over 12 hostages to the Red Cross after they were held in Gaza for 52 days.
The terror group released the fifth batch of captives including an elderly woman in a wheelchair and a 17-year-old clutching on to her pet dog.
It came hours before the final day of the extended six-day truce began on Wednesday.
Ten of the 12 hostages were Israeli and two were Thai nationals.
The group were transferred from Hamas to the Red Cross, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"Those released from Gaza include a minor and nine women, an Austrian citizen, two Argentinians, and a Filipino citizen, (and they) were handed over to the ICRC," Dr Majed al Ansari said.
READ MORE ON ISRAEL HAMAS WAR
He said Hamas has also published a list of 30 people it expects to be released from Israeli prisons tonight, in exchange for the hostages.
The one child released was Mia Leimberg, 17, who was freed alongside her mother Gabriela Leimberg, 59, and family friend Clara Marman, 63.
Ditza Heiman, 84, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was freed and is expected to be reunited with her four children and 20 grandchildren soon.
Tammy Metzger, 78, Ofelia Rothman, 77 and Ada Sagi, 75, were all freed after spending 52 days under evil Hamas control.
Rimon Kirscht, 36, is now safe but her husband Yagev Buchshtav, 34, is still being held captive.
Norlin Agojo, 60, is from the Philippines and was visiting friends on the kibbutz when her husband was brutally murdered and she was kidnapped.
The final woman freed is Meirav Tal, 53, who will be reunited with her two sons Or Yaakov, 16 and Yagil Yaakov, 13, who were released last night.
Two other unidentified foreigners were also seen being taken to safety by IDF troops.
It comes as eleven Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas thugs on Monday night after spending a horror 51 days in captivity.
Photos of the moment they were freed show bandaged-up children in wheelchairs and relieved parents clutching onto terrified toddlers as the nine kids and two mothers were taken to safety by IDF soldiers.
The eleven hostages have now safely crossed the border into Israel with the help of the Red Cross - as the truce has been reportedly extended by two extra days.
But the children freed last night have all left behind their fathers in the hellish tunnels of Gaza.
A statement by the IDF said: "IDF special forces and ISA forces are currently accompanying 11 released hostages in Israeli territory.
"After they undergo an initial medical assessment of their health, our forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families.
"The IDF, together with the entire Israeli security establishment, will continue operating until all the hostages are returned home."
The final day of the truce was expected to take place on Monday but is now set to span another 48 hours - with the hopes of more hostages being released.
The aunt of Israel's youngest hostage, baby Kfir Bibas, has begged for his immediate release after he was reportedly handed over to another Palestinian terror group in a sickening trade.
Kfir was snatched by Hamas monsters from Kibbutz Nir Oz during their October 7 killing spree along with his brother Ariel, 4, mother Shiri, 32, and father, Yarden, 34.
Ofri Bibas begged for their safe return and told local media: "At the moment they are the youngest hostages still remaining in Hamas captivity.
“We don’t know where they’ve been held. From what we know, they are kept underground.
“I hope they don’t hold them as a trophy," she added.
Israel has said it would extend the ceasefire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released.
Qatar, along with Egypt, has been the key mediator in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
"The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip," Dr Majed al Ansari said.
A Hamas statement read: "The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces that it has been agreed with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian truce for an additional two days under the same conditions as the previous truce."
It comes after the terror group claimed it does not know where dozens of child hostages are being held in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani who is leading talks told the Financial Times: "If they (Hamas) get additional women and children, there will be an extension.
"We don't yet have any clear information how many they can find because ... one of the purposes [of the pause in fighting] is they [Hamas] will have time to search for the rest of the missing people."
The claim was viewed with scepticism due to concerns that Hamas leaders might exploit the ceasefire as an opportunity to reassemble for further violence.
Hamas also claimed they hadn't abducted any civilians - despite their own members recording the act of seizing vulnerable hostages and forcibly returning them to Gaza during the massacre.
About 240 hostages, including Israeli soldiers and sick and elderly civilians, are understood to have been taken hostage by the terror group and held in their web of underground tunnels.
During the past week, a deal brokered by Qatar led to the freeing of 50 Israeli women and children in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons throughout the four-day ceasefire.
Palestinian civilians have been left fleeing for their lives as Israel attempts to destroy Hamas after the terror group massacred 1,200 civilians on October 7.
Families living in Gaza have been caught in the brutal crossfire, with regular accusations that the terrorists are attempting to use them as “human shields”.
Much of the northern part of the strip has been turned into a devastated warzone - with ruined buildings, dwindling supplies and horrific suffering for Gaza’s people.
The Red Cross estimates that some 1.5million civilians have been forced to flee south amid the Israeli onslaught from land, air and sea.
Figures for the death toll remain unverified - but Hamas’ health officials claim more than 11,000 civilians, including more than 4,500 children have been killed.
Israel disputes these figures - and US President Joe Biden said he had “no confidence” in them.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
But Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel has "not been successful” in reducing civilian casualties.
He said the deaths must be blamed on Hamas - not Israel.
And as the horror continues there have been growing calls for a humanitarian ceasefire to stop the bloodshed.