Hamas has released three Israeli captives held in Gaza, with the exchange of 183 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel to follow.The captives were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at a carefully managed event on Saturday morning. The exchange is the fifth under the Gaza ceasefire deal, which appears increasingly fragile amid United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians from the enclave.
The three civilian men – Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – were released under the first phase of the truce, which runs until early March.
Ahead of the handover, the captives appeared on a stage set up in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, surrounded by Qassam Brigades fighters and holding up release certificates. Banners on the stage read: “We are the flood, we are the war’s next day.”
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that crowds chanted their support for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
The trio being released appeared gaunt and frail following their 16 months ordeal.
Israeli captive Eli Sharabi, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on February 8, 2025 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
“The disturbing images from the release of Ohad, Eli, and Or serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt – there is no time to waste for the hostages! We must get them all out, down to the very last hostage. Now!” said the Hostages and Missin …
