Hamas released six Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday, which will release the last captives in the first phase of a fragile ceasefire. The truce has been shocked this week, when the militant group initially returned was still hostage to Israeli hostages, and the test showed it was someone else.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel announced it would continue to postpone the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners and promised to release them on Saturday, demanding that Hamas first release more prisoners from Gaza and promised to be without a “humiliation ceremony” Release it.” Hamas has been releasing hostages in a performance ceremony to show that it is still in control of Gaza, and many Israeli officials have condemned Gaza.
The news was released in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office hours after the prisoner’s release had been delayed without explanation, adding to a crumbling ceasefire that will be next week between Israel and Hamas.
On Thursday, Hamas returned four bodies, said to be imprisoned hostages, including Israeli woman Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped in an October 7, 2023 attack, and started war. Israel’s forensic tests confirmed that the body was not Ms. Bibas.
Later on Friday, Hamas moved another body, which Israeli officials confirmed earlier on Saturday was Ms. Bibas. Her kidnapping and death with her children has become a symbol of Israel’s sorrow.
The wrong delivery still triggered a commotion in Israel. Furthermore, Israeli authorities rejected Hamas’ assertion that Ms. Bibas’s child was killed in an Israeli air strike, saying their kidnappers “killed them with their exposed hands.” The episode raises doubts about the next step in the ceasefire deal, including whether Saturday’s exchange will go as planned.
To release the bodies of six live hostages and four dead captives, Israel is expected to issue 620 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, the largest group of detainees since the ceasefire began in Gaza last month. That didn’t happen.
Initially, Hamas’ hostage transfer seemed to be keeping a deal between the sides after a turbulent week. Among the Israelites, the emotions between Joey and the grief swing as the families of the released hostages mourn the relatives of the Bibas family and other relatives who were killed.
The Palestinian family waiting for their relatives to be released also expressed conflicting emotions. “The last time is the hardest,” said Adeeb Saifi, the father of the Palestinian prisoner, who will be released. “They bring together all the contradictions – hardship and relief, hope and pain, love and hatred.”
The long-term future of the agreement is unclear. The six-week truce begins in late January and will expire in early March unless both Israel and Hamas agree to an extension. The two sides have not reached an agreement in the next phase of the ceasefire, which has raised concerns that the battle may begin soon.
Hamas returned six hostages in two highly planned public ceremonies and the third untvable transfer on Saturday. The first two were released, Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham were handed over to Red Cross officials in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Israeli military said the two men crossed Israel and would undergo medical assessment.
Mr. Mengistu, 38, has been the longest Israeli hostage in Gaza. He was an Israelite of Ethiopian descent who crossed Gaza in 2014 and was taken hostage by Hamas, who claimed to be a soldier, even though he had never served in the army.
Mr. Shoham, along with several family members, including his wife and two children, were kidnapped by Kibbutz Be’eri, killing more people than any other Israeli community in the October 7 attack. His wife, son and daughter were released during the ceasefire in November 2023 and in a statement after his release on Saturday, his family said: “All emotions are quickly mixing together.”
The other three hostages were handed over to the Israeli military at Nuseirat in central Gaza: Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen. The three were kidnapped while trying to escape the festival near the border with Gaza, and are said to have a disease that allows them to be released first.
During the switching ceremony, the hostages appeared thin. They wore khaki uniforms, although they did not serve in the military when they were taken hostage.
In a video released by the Israeli government, Mr. Shem Tov, 20, was able to reunite with his parents when he was abducted and tell them: “You don’t know how much I dream about you.”
In both ceremonies, the masked gunmen escorted the hostages to the stage and showed the certificate of release – the dramatic handover has become the typical hostage released by Hamas in this ceasefire, as militants aim to prove that it is still in control Gaza.
Later Saturday, Hamas posted a promotional video on social media that appeared to be designed to instill fear of the safety of hostages who are still alive in Gaza. The video shows that the militant group brought two other prisoners at a transfer ceremony on Saturday, forced to watch from a van and beg for their release.
Rights groups and international law experts say hostage videos are by definition produced under coercion, with statements usually compulsory. Israeli officials have called past Hamas videos the form of “psychological warfare”, and experts say their production could constitute a war crime.
The scenes of Saturday’s transfer itself are softer than some of the more chaotic exchanges before.
The sixth man was 37-year-old Hisham Al-Sayed handed over in Gaza City with a more private transfer. Al-Sayed, an Israeli citizen from a small Bedouin town in the Negev desert, crossed his own Gaza in April 2015 and was Hamas took hostage.
Al Jazeera, a Katari-funded TV channel, played a man who appeared to be the vehicle for Mr. Al-Says toward the Red Cross, and the Israeli military later released the video recorder he was transferred to the hands of Israeli forces in Gaza. Hamas released a proof of life in 2022 video showing that he was lying in bed with an oxygen mask on his face, apparently in good condition.
His family said in a statement that they were “touched by Hisham’s return home”, adding: “The long-awaited moment has come.”
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is committed to freeing at least 25 Israeli hostages, with the remains of eight in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians sentenced to Israel.
Palestinians and Gaza in the West Bank are eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones. According to Palestinian officials, 445 men, 23 minors and a woman were arrested in the wake of the October 2023 attack on southern Israel. In addition, 151 Palestinians who have been imprisoned for many years have been planned to be released.
Whether the ceasefire extends to the second phase remains uncertain. The two sides will begin negotiations on the details in the next phase two weeks ago, but it is not clear whether serious negotiations have begun.
