Hamas announced six Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ready for the next phase of a volatile ceasefire.
Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham were handed over to the Red Cross, and eventually to Israel in the city of Rafa, south of Gazan. Both were taken to hospital by Israeli Air Force helicopter, reunited with their families and treated. According to to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).
Three other people – Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen, were released in central Gaza, first handed to the Red Cross, then released to Israel. They were accompanied by IDF special forces and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA). Israeli Army I said On Saturday, they also said they would receive medical tests on their return.
“As Israeli Defense Force commanders and soldiers will respect and accept hostages returning home as they follow their path to Israeli state,” the IDF said.
The sixth hostage released on Saturday was not immediately identified. Hisham al-Seid, 36, an Israeli Bedouin Israeli with a history of mental illness, is expected to be an Israeli Bedouin with a history of mental health illness, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier this week, Hamas will deliver the body of Silvivas, an Israeli mother who was held hostage along with her husband and two children during the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 by Palestinian extremist groups. was expected.
Israel said Hamas, designated by the US as a terrorist group, delivered the wrong body. The move has angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel confirmed on Friday that Hamas had released Vivas' body.
Hamas said Israel would release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. It will be the greatest release of prisoners as a vulnerable ceasefire between the two began on January 19th.
The first phase of the three-phase ceasefire is set to last for six weeks. Both sides have not yet forced a second phase agreement. The next step is expected to include the release of the remaining hostages and Israeli forces' withdrawal from the Gaza Strip entirely.
The tenuous ceasefire came after both sides fought for more than 15 months. Hamas' October 7 attack on South of Israel killed around 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 hostages.
Local health officials say the IDF bombed Gaza, a military operation that killed more than 48,000 Palestinians. This tally does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
