Tel Aviv, Israel (AP) — Hamas announced the remaining week of the week, leaving behind the last six live hostages expected in the first phase of a ceasefire with Israel on Saturday.
Hostages include three Israeli men seized from the Nova Music Festival and Hamas-led militants attacked the attack that sparked Israel’s 16-month military campaign on October 7, 2023. It included another man who was photographed while visiting a family in southern Israel. The other two hostages were detained for 10 years after entering Gaza on their own.
The five were handed over in a gradual ceremony in which the Red Cross and Israel were escorted by masked, armed Hamas fighters in front of hundreds of Palestinians and accused them of being cruel and rude.
Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen posed alongside Hamas Fighters. A shining Shemtob kissed the two militants on the head and kissed the crowd.
Cohen’s family and friends in Israel cheered, “Elijah! Elijah! Elijah!”
“You’re a hero,” Shem Tov told his parents that he later hugged him, laughing and crying. “I don’t know how much I dreamed of you.”
Earlier on Saturday, 40-year-old Tal Shoham and 38-year-old Avera Mengäthu were released. Mengistu from Ethiopia and Israel entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he was struggling with mental health issues.
Israeli forces later said 36-year-old Hisham al-Seid had been released. Bedouin Israel entered Gaza in 2015. His family told Israeli media, where he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The release of more than 600 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel (the release of the largest one-day prisoners in the first phase of the Cerez Fire) was delayed due to Israeli security consultations on Saturday evening.
The hostage release follows a heartbreaking conflict when Hamas handed out the wrong bodies on Thursday for Israeli mother Siri Vivas, whose two young boys were accused of. He decided that the body was a relic of a Palestinian woman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to revenge for “cruel and malicious violations,” but Hamas suggested it was a mistake.
On Friday, the small militant group was believed to have been harboring Vivas and her son, the Palestinian Mujahedine Brigade.
“It’s not bringing comfort because it’s here now, but we hope it marks the beginning of the closure,” the family said.
Hamas on Saturday claimed that Israel was responsible for the death of Vivas’ child and called it a lie intended to justify Israel’s military action against civilians in Gaza.
There are difficult discussions about the next stage of the ceasefire
The ceasefire agreement paused the most deadly and devastating battle ever between Israel and Hamas, but there is a threat to resume the war after the first phase is over.
Hamas says he will release four bodies next week and complete the first phase. Hamas then holds around 60 hostages. It is believed that about half are alive.
Lectures on the second phase of the Cerefire have not yet begun, but negotiations could be more difficult.
Hamas said he would not release the remaining prisoners without a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says with full support from the Trump administration, he is committed to destroying Hamas’ troops, governing its capabilities and reviving all hostages.
Israeli officials said Netanyahu will meet with security advisors on the future of the ceasefire on Saturday night. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting had not been formally announced, said the discussion would focus on “the goal of returning the living and all dead hostages.”
Freed hostages bring relief and signs of life
Cohen, Shem Tov, and Wenkert were not soldiers when they were accused, but were taken away in fake military uniforms.
“This is an unforgettable moment, and all the emotions are quickly mixed together,” Shoham’s family calls for a deal to free everything that is still held. “There’s a window of opportunity. Don’t miss it.”
Also, Shoham, who holds Austrian citizenship, had visited Kibbutzberg’s family as Hamas militants charged in. His wife and two young children were released in an exchange in November 2023.
Mengistu’s family and friends saw him for the first time in a decade, and so broke out with a song.
“Do you remember me?” asked a brother, holding his arms.
Omar’s mother, Niva Wenkart, told Israeli Channel 12, “It’s fine on the surface, but I don’t know what’s going on.”
As concerns grow over the remaining hostages, Iranian Gilboa Dalal, father of prisoner Gilboa Dalal, has been told by Israeli public broadcaster Kang that his family is 8 from newly released hostages detained along with him. He said he received the first signs of life on the moon.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are ready to be released
The 620 Palestinian prisoners to be released include 151 people who served life or other sentences for violent attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 people will be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners’ media office.
The Palestinian Prisoner Rights Association said it includes Nael Barguti, who spent more than 45 years in prison for the attack that killed an Israeli bus driver.
Also, 445 people have been released. There are 18 children aged 15 to 17, and five children aged 18 to 19. And women who were seized by the Israeli forces in Gaza without accusations during the war.
Israeli military attacks have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it killed more than 17,000 fighter jets without providing evidence.
The attack destroyed vast areas of Gaza and reduced the entire neighborhood to tile rubs. At that height, the war drove out 90% of Gaza’s population. Many people returned home, nothing remained and found no way to rebuild.
The attack on October 7th killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died in the war.
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shurafa reported from Rafah from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Jahjouh. Associated Press author Tia Goldenberg, Tel Aviv, Israel. Abdel Kareem Hana of Nusairat, Gaza Strip; And Sammy Magdy of Cairo contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war report at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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