- At least seven of the 72 Palestinian prisoners released in Ramallah and Jerusalem on Saturday were immediately transferred to a hospital
Hamas militants, on Saturday, released three more Israeli hostages in exchange for another 183 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The latest round of hostage release, which took place in the city of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, had two Red Cross officials taking part in a signing ceremony with a Hamas commander on a stage prior to the handover.
According to ABC News, Hamas militants flaunt a banner on the stage that read in Arabic “We are the flood … We are the day after” and another banner with the words in Hebrew “Absolute victory” alongside an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s face.
The Hamas militants then escorted out of vehicles the three Israeli hostages, namely Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levi — and brought them onto the stage.
While the hostages’ families watched the events unravel on television in southern Israel and they were seen crying at the sight of their loved ones, the Hamas militants eventually escorted the hostages off the stage and into three Red Cross vehicles, which slowly drove away through the crowd.
“According to information communicated by the Red Cross, three hostages were transferred to them, and they are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency read following their departure.
The Red Cross then handed over the three newly released hostages to IDF and ISA forces in Gaza before they crossed into southern Israel, where they underwent an initial medical assessment as their families waited for them at a hospital.
“Three returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the IDF and ISA said in another joint statement.
“The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks everyone to respect the privacy of the returning hostages and their families,” the statement added.
The ABC News reported that the Red Cross later described the conditions surrounding the release of hostages as “increasingly concerning,” demanding a private release of hostages and prisoners.
“The ICRC is increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations. We strongly urge all parties, including the mediators, to take responsibility to ensure that future releases are dignified and private,” the organization said in a statement.
As images of the newly released hostages surfaced, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying Netanyahu, who remained in the United States after an official visit to the White House in Washington D.C., “has instructed to not allow the situation to go unaddressed, and to take appropriate measures” because of “the serious condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Meanwhile, Israel, in exchange for the three freed hostages, released another 183 Palestinians from its prisons across the country. 72 of them were transferred to Ramallah and Jerusalem while 111 were transferred to Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Some of those released appeared frail, including an elderly man on an oxygen tank who had to be carried off one of the buses that arrived in Ramallah.
At least seven of the 72 Palestinian prisoners released in Ramallah and Jerusalem on Saturday were immediately transferred to a hospital, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Their conditions were unknown. All 111 of the Palestinian prisoners released in Gaza on Saturday were taken to the European Hospital near Khan Yunis for medical evaluation. Their conditions were also unknown.
The Israeli delegation heading to Doha, Qatar, for talks on Saturday, will discuss purely “technical details” of the ongoing hostage deal. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel from Washington on Sunday, he will hold a political-security cabinet meeting about second phase negotiations.
ABC News
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