World News

The group of 12 hostages, most of them Israelis, is the first to be released under the extended cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The hostages released on Tuesday, the fifth day of a fragile cease-fire, included three members of one family, according to a list released by the Israeli prime minister’s office.

The extension, and another exchange of hostages and prisoners, raised hopes that more people would be set free and more humanitarian aid would reach people in the Gaza Strip.

The group included several children, including a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl, and a Russian-Israeli who is the first man to be released.

The group’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced that Abu Anas al-Ghandour and three others had been killed. It did not say when.

A second group of 13 included six members of an extended family.

The first group of 13 Israeli hostages — all women and children — were handed over to Israeli officials on Friday, joining five others released or rescued earlier in the fighting.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas required painful negotiations, but if carried out successfully, it could lead to the release of more hostages and extend the temporary cease-fire.

After more than six weeks of war, the two sides said they had agreed to a four-day cease-fire to allow for the release of 50 of the hostages Hamas captured on Oct. 7.

The outcome on Monday marked a blow to the criminal syndicate ‘Ndrangheta and some of its top-ranking mobsters with ties to international drug syndicates.