Synopsis
On February 8, three Israeli hostages held by Hamas were successfully transferred to the Israel Defense Forces and crossed into Israel. This marks a significant development in the ongoing hostage negotiations following the October 7 attack. The release is part of a broader ceasefire agreement involving prisoner exchanges.Key Takeaways
- Three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas.
- The hostages appeared frail upon their release.
- This marks the fifth hostage exchange under a ceasefire agreement.
- Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners as part of the swap.
- The ceasefire agreement was brokered by Egypt and Qatar.
Jerusalem/Gaza, Feb 8 (NationPress) On Saturday, three Israeli hostages who were previously under the control of Hamas were transferred from central Gaza to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency. They successfully crossed into Israel, according to a statement from the IDF.
The trio, taken hostage during a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, includes Ohad Ben Ami, 56, a dual citizen of Israel and Germany; Eli Sharabi, 52; and Or Levy, 34.
Earlier that day, three vehicles from the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) arrived at the designated handover point in Deir al-Balah city.
The three hostages appeared visibly frail and exhausted, initially addressing the crowd before being handed over by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas, to the ICRC, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Reports indicate that Ben Ami's wife was also captured on the same day but was released after 54 days in captivity through a previous hostage exchange.
This release is the fifth exchange of hostages and prisoners as part of the initial phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, facilitated by Egypt and Qatar with assistance from the United States.
As part of this swap, Israel has initiated the release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from its jails on the same day.
Abdullah al-Zaghari, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, stated that the released prisoners, transported by buses from the ICRC, arrived in Ramallah. Television footage depicted the released Palestinians being welcomed by a large crowd in the city's square.
The Prisoners' Media Office linked with Hamas noted that among the released Palestinian prisoners are 18 who were serving life sentences, 54 serving lengthy sentences, and 111 from the Gaza Strip detained after the October 7 assault.
Commencing on January 19, the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement mandates that Hamas release 33 hostages while Israel will liberate hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
