Hamas released three Israeli civilian men the terrorists held hostage in Gaza for the past 16 months, and Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners as the Gaza ceasefire ended its third week.
The handover occurred in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, where armed and masked Hamas terrorists guarded a stage adorned with banners mocking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aim of victory over the Islamist group. Patriotic music blared from speakers.
The Israel Defense Forces announced the three men had been transferred from Hamas captivity by the Red Cross, and that they were next headed for medical checkups in Israeli territory.
The fifth such exchange began despite concerns that President Donald Trump’s call to move Gaza’s 2 million residents out of the coastal strip might affect the shaky truce. While Israel welcomed his idea, it’s been soundly rejected by Palestinian and many global leaders.
The Israelis released on Saturday were Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34. All looked thin and pale as they exited Hamas vehicles and were ordered to speak words of thanks from the stage, surrounded by gunmen. They were abducted during the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.
Sharabi and Ben Ami were taken from Kibbutz Be’eri near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip — one of the hardest-hit collective communities in the terrorist attack, with more than 100 slain. Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival, where more than 400 people were killed.
Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed during the 2023 terrorist attack, and his brother Yossi was abducted and died in captivity. Levy’s wife was killed during the attack; his son, now 3, has been in the care of his grandparents for the past 16 months. Levy’s mother said in a radio interview that it’s unclear if he knows his wife is dead.
In contrast with the joy that greeted earlier releases of hostages who appeared relatively healthy and strong, Saturday’s release filled Israelis with concern about their apparent poor condition.
Among the 183 Palestinians freed on Saturday were 18 serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israel, 54 serving long-term sentences, and 111 Gazans detained after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. All are men, ranging in age from 20 to 61. Seven are expected to be deported while the rest return to their homes.
Hamas has accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire terms by delaying the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies. In a press briefing, the Hamas-run media office said 200,000 tents and 60,000 prefabricated houses were supposed to enter, but that only 10 percent of the tents arrived and none of the houses.
Negotiating teams for Hamas and Israel are expected to arrive this weekend in the Qatari capital of Doha to continue indirect talks on concluding the first 42-day phase of the truce and moving into the second, where the differences between their respective aims will surface fully.
Israel says the war can only end with the removal from power of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other governments. Hamas says it’s not going anywhere and that Israeli troops need to leave before the next set of releases can occur.
The stage where Saturday’s handover occurred had a banner showing a photo of Netanyahu, head in hand, and the words “Total Victory” in Hebrew, his slogan of the past 16 months. A masked Hamas commander with a bureaucratic stamp and official documents matched signatures with a Red Cross official.
Similar demonstrations of Hamas’ ongoing presence and authority have characterized each of the hostage releases, with those being freed often forced to walk through a roiling crowd. Both Israel and Trump have assailed the way the handovers have been carried out as abusive. Saturday’s release was less chaotic.
In the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack, about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not say how many were terrorists. Israel says it’s killed nearly 20,000 Hamas fighters.
By the numbers
Here is a breakdown of the hostages taken by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023:
Total captured: 251
Hostages freed in exchanges or other deals: 130
Bodies of dead hostages retrieved by Israeli troops: 40
Hostages rescued alive: 8
Hostages still in captivity: 73, of whom Israel has declared 34 to be dead.
Of those still being held:
Women and children: 3 ( A mother and her two young sons.)
Israeli soldiers: 13, of whom 6 are still believed to be alive.
Non-Israelis: 5 (3 Thais, 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 2 (1 Thai and 1 Nepalese) are believed to still be alive.
Separately:
Israelis in Gaza since before the Oct. 7 terrorist attack: 3 (body of one soldier killed in 2014 war, and two civilians who entered Gaza on their own in 2014 and 2015 and are believed alive)
The Associated Press