Two Israeli hostages, Mia Schem and Amit Soussana, were handed over to the Red Cross and arrived back in Israeli territory.
IDF and security service agents accompanied them back home.
The two women spent 54 days in Hamas captivity and were both believed to have been kept in Gaza City.
These are the first two Israeli hostages to be released without all Israeli hostages together- the only other was Roni Krivoy who was released as a foreigner under his Russian passport. Until Thursday, all Israeli hostages had been released every evening as one group.
Two Israeli-Russian captives returned to Israel on Wednesday through a separate agreement with Moscow as were four Thai citizens as part of a deal with Thailand. All other Israeli hostages have been released daily as one group.
In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross.
First two hostages released on Thursday
Soussana, 40, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists after they invaded her home in Kfar Aza, one of the hardest hit communities on October 7.
Amit is the youngest of three sisters, a lawyer by profession, and she moved to Kfar Aza a year ago. She grew up in Sderot.
Schem, 21, was at the Nova festival with her friend on October 7 when Hamas terrorists kidnapped her.
“We screamed here with joy, the whole street heard us,” Mia’s aunt told Maariv. “These were 55 days, it is impossible to describe what upheavals we went through during them. It is important for me to emphasize that we will continue the fight, and we will do everything possible so that the rest of the abductees who are still there return.”
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