Hamas-led militants released three Gantt, frail Israeli hostages on Saturday, and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that suspended war in the Gaza Strip .
The weakened state of hostages and Hamas scenes could force the story in a staged release ceremony, sparking rage in Israel and increasing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu previously indicated that he would resume the war, even if it meant leaving dozens of hostages in Hamas.
In front of a crowd of hundreds, armed Hamas fighters lead 52-year-old Eli Sharabi to lead Ohad Ben Ami (56), and 34-year-old Levi to the stage to help them. He issued a public statement before handing over to the Red Cross.
The three civilians sparked war on October 7, 2023, when around 250 people were accused of during a Hamas-led Israel attack. They showed up in far more poorer health than the previous 18 hostages released during the ceasefire that began on January 19th.
Later on Saturday, Israel began releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners. Red Crescent said seven people who were released were taken to hospital for treatment.
Hostage status raises concern
Hostage Debilitating Condition and Official Statement – The departure from previous hostage releases in which prisoners were not spoken has sparked rage in Israel.
“Israel sees Hamas’ repeated violations and great severity, and we are seeing the condition of the three hostages released this morning with even greater severity,” said Gal, the hostage coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister. Hirsch said. The message is passed to the mediator and the action is performed accordingly. ”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “difficult scene” is the reason to extend the ceasefire and bring the remaining hostages home.
In an obvious response to hostage health concerns released, the Kassam Brigade, Hamas’ military wing, claimed that “they made efforts to sustain their lives despite the bombings (Israel).”.
Many Palestinians released from Israeli prisons during the ceasefire also appear Gantt and pale, claiming Israeli custody abuse and abuse.
The current phase of the armistice has not been affected by President Donald Trump’s astounding proposal to move the Palestinian population from Gaza, which was welcomed by Israel but has been heavily rejected by the Palestinians and the majority of the international community. Apparently.
However, if Hamas is to release more hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, it could complicate meetings at the second, more difficult stage. Hamas is reluctant to release more prisoners and reluctant to lose its main negotiation tip if they believe that the US and Israel are serious about abolishing territory, which they say is violating international law. It might be.
The first phase of the ceasefire calls for the release of 33 hostages and around 2,000 prisoners, the Palestinians return to northern Gaza and the increased humanitarian assistance to the devastated territory. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the 33 people are dead.
Last week, the injured Palestinian was allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since May.
This was the fifth exchange of the fifth hostage prisoners in the ceasefire, with 21 hostages, including five Thais who were not counted in 33, and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners now released It was done.
More than 70 hostages remain in Gaza, of which 34 are believed to have died.
President Donald Trump said during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday that Palestinians in Gaza should be moved to their new homes.
Who was released on Saturday?
Both Sharabi and Ben Ami were captured by one of the most intense agricultural communities, Kibbutz Biari, but Levi was accused of the Nova Music Festival.
Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed in the attack. His brother Yoshi was also accused and died. Levy’s wife was killed during the attack, and his current three-year-old son is being cared for by relatives.
It is unknown if either person knew what happened to their family.
Ben Ami, the father of three, was invited to his wife, Raz, who was released in a weekly ceasefire in November 2023.
The hostage relatives cheered, applauded and cried after watching the live footage of the release.
Levy’s brother Michael said that his brother’s young son, Almog, was already said that his father was on his way to him.
“Mogi, we found Dad,” Michael Levy told the boy in an interview with Israel Channel 12 using his nickname.
Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners include 18 life sentences for fatal attacks on Israelis, 54 long sentences, and 111 from Gaza who were detained after the attack on October 7th. It includes Palestinians, but no crime was attempted. Everything is male, between 20 and 61 years old.
Almost every Palestinian has a friend, relative, or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.
The next stage of the ceasefire is uncertain
It is unclear whether Israel and Hamas have begun negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire. If an agreement is not reached, the war could resume in early March.
Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after extremist groups reassert its rules against Gaza within hours of the ceasefire. The main far-right partner of Netanyahu’s coalition is to seek the war to resume after the first phase of the ceasefire.
Hamas says that they will not release the remaining hostages without the end of the war and the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The attack on October 7th killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians. More than 47,000 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s war of retaliation, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Israeli forces say they killed more than 17,000 fighter jets without providing evidence. It denies the death of Hamas civilians for operating in residential areas.
Senior extremists among Palestinian prisoners have been released
Seven of the prisoners released were transferred to Egypt prior to further deportation.
Others were transferred to Palestinian custody near Ramallah on the West Bank, where many relatives, friends and supporters welcomed cheers and applause. A frail prisoner was taken from the bus and taken to an ambulance.
Some have been around, from bomb attacks to involvement in extremist organizations, and in some cases, crimes that were decades ago.
They are 49-year-old Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, who has been trapped for nearly 21 years involving Hamas attacks in crowded civilian regions that killed dozens of Israelis during the Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. Includes: This included the infamous 2004 suicide bus bombing in Bercheva city in southern Israel, killing 16 people, including a four-year-old.
The other is Jamal Al Taur, a well-known Hamas politician on the occupied West Bank and former mayor of Albire village.
He spent nearly 20 years in and out of Israeli prisons and reported his final arrest in 2021 for his participation in violent riots and efforts to entrench Hamas leaders in the West Bank. He was then transferred to administrative detention. This is a recurring six months of recurring restriction in which the suspect is detained without charge or trial.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future states.
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Goldenberg contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel. Isabelle Debre of Ramallah on the West Bank contributed.
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