Thirteen women and children have been released by a gang in Haiti nearly a week after more than 50 people were kidnapped during a deadly attack near the capital, Port-au-Prince, UNICEF said.

The group released includes six children and seven women, among them three children under the age of 2, a 7-year-old child and two teenage girls.

UNICEF said it worked with community leaders to help secure their release.

It was not immediately clear whether any of those freed required medical treatment or whether other women and children remained in captivity.

The mass kidnapping occurred following a deadly gang attack on Kenscoff, a once-quiet farming community in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

At least 47 people were killed during the attack, according to authorities.

The violence escalated after armed groups launched an assault on the community, taking dozens of residents hostage.

A gang leader known as Izo 2 subsequently threatened to execute the hostages if police killed members of his gang during efforts to regain control of the area.

The threat added urgency to attempts to negotiate the release of those being held.

Mass kidnappings are less common in Haiti than individual abductions, although kidnapping has become a persistent threat as armed gangs have expanded their control over parts of the country.

Hostages in previous cases have faced vastly different outcomes. Some have been released after negotiations or without a ransom being publicly confirmed, while others have been killed.

For the families of the 13 women and children released this time, however, the development brought a rare moment of relief amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

UNICEF described the release as a rare moment of hope for children living through escalating violence.

The agency also warned that the Kenscoff kidnapping was not an isolated incident and reflected the growing danger faced by children across Haiti.

More than 2,600 people were forced to flee their homes following the attack, according to the United Nations.

Many of those displaced had already been forced to leave their homes before, leaving families once again searching for shelter and missing relatives.

For the people still waiting for loved ones who have not been released, the uncertainty remains.

Thirteen families now have their children, mothers and daughters back.

But dozens of other hostages may still be waiting for the same outcome.

Course: NY Post