The handover of the hostages to the Red Cross took place on Salah al-Din Road, the major highway that runs through the entire Gaza Strip, report Israeli media. As usual, the extremist Islamist Palestinian Hamas had made a propaganda show out of the release, with a scene featuring slogans where the hostages were displayed. The Red Cross representatives had to sit down and, in front of an audience of Hamas supporters, sign papers for the handover.
A short while later, the Israeli military confirmed that they had gained access to the three men, who have now been reunited with their families in Israel.
Fifth Exchange
At the same time, a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners were released from Ofer Prison, as part of Israel's contribution to the exchange within the framework of the ceasefire. All those released in this round are Palestinian men. About two-thirds of them were taken captive during the Gaza War, while the others have been convicted of terror and violent crimes in other contexts.
This is the fifth prisoner exchange since the ceasefire began in mid-January. In recent times, the families of the hostages and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reacted increasingly strongly to Hamas' "propaganda show". Last week, Netanyahu even paused the release of prisoners for a few hours in protest against how the hostages were being treated.
Now, he promises to "take appropriate measures", he says via Israeli media from his ongoing US visit, without going into details.
"Living in a Luxury Hotel"
Many Israelis still think, however, that the Prime Minister has failed, given that so many are still being held hostage. "While Netanyahu is living in a luxury hotel, the Israelis being released look like Holocaust survivors", rages the father of one of the remaining hostages according to Haaretz.
Releases are taking place every week, as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas reached in mid-January. The agreement is set to last for six weeks. After that, a new phase will begin, but it has not yet been finalized. New question marks have also arisen regarding the next steps, since President Donald Trump claimed last week that the US would take over the Gaza Strip.
Following today's releases, Netanyahu's office announced that the Prime Minister has ordered a delegation to travel to Doha, Qatar, for further talks on the ceasefire. It is also reported that Netanyahu, upon his return from Washington, will hold a meeting with the security cabinet regarding the second phase of the agreement.
The Gaza War began with the terrorist-stamped Hamas' major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The current ceasefire began on January 19 this year and is set to last for six weeks.
A key part of the agreement is that Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas releases people from the hostages taken during the attack.
Israel is set to release a total of around 1,900 prisoners. Exactly how many are released each time is unclear, but it will happen simultaneously with Hamas releasing the hostages.
When phase one is over, around 60 Israelis will still be held hostage by Hamas. The idea is that they will be released in a new phase of the ceasefire, which will also pave the way for a more long-term calm in the Gaza Strip. But the circumstances for this have not yet been negotiated.
Sources: Haaretz, BBC.
