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Hamas released three Israeli men from Gaza confinement on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
The Israelites were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in an elaborate, staged ceremony at Deial Al-Bhara, a relatively intact section of the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli officials, they were killed about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023, during attacks by Palestinian extremist groups on Israel on October 7, 2023, and from their homes and music festivals. He was taken hostage by.
Ohad Ben Ami, 56, or 34, Eli Sharabi, 52, looked pale and pale as Hamas paraded on stage alongside heavily armed fighter jets.
“The shocking image we saw today is not understated,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that they were referring to their physical state, more than what was announced in the previous swap. He also said it was significantly worse.
Israel intends to raise hostage health issues with mediators in Qatar, Egypt and the US, and “measures will take,” said a senior Israeli official.
Soon afterwards, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners as required under the conditions of the ceasefire. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Moon, some appeared to be broadcast on television images broadcast in Arab media, with seven people being taken to hospital for unspecified injuries.
“All prisoners released today need medical care, treatment and testing as a result of the atrocities they have undergone over the past few months,” the Palestinian Prisoners Association said in a statement.
The majority were held in Israeli prisons without trial. Less than 20 people were serving life sentences after being convicted of attacks on Israelis.
Around 48,000 people were killed in the besieged strip during the 15-month Israeli war in Gaza, local officials said.
Despite the latest exchange, the ceasefire framework is increasingly tense due to operational hiccups and public statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who emphasized his disgust to end the war . The United States controls the enclave.
On Friday, Hamas delayed confirmation that swaps will take place on schedule after Israel complained that it hasn’t allowed tens of thousands of tents and mobile homes to Gaza. Ta.
Those familiar with the details say that input of these humanitarian supplies is necessary by a ceasefire agreement, but it is not clear when delivery should arrive.
The need for shelter has become increasingly urgent this week as winter storms hit the coastal enclaves. Approximately 2 million people have evacuated there and live in a vast tent city and nearby ruins.
The future of the ceasefire is also questionable with Netanyahu’s pledge earlier this week to resume the war with Hamas after Donald Trump was said to support the evacuation of all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Trump’s proposal, illegal under international law and sparked widespread rage in the Arab world, strengthened Gaza from Palestinian control, pushing its population into neighboring countries, and “to make it the “riviera” They will force their population to their neighboring countries to launch a reconstruction plan. middle east”.
The three-stage ceasefire is currently in the process of transition between phases 1 and 2, during which negotiations should be held to end the war.
In the first six weeks, Hamas had to release 33 Israeli hostages, including all children, women and men over the age of 50. By Saturday, 21 of them have been released. This six-week period ends in the first week of March.
The group originally acquired approximately 250 hostages on October 7, 2023. About 120 were released during a ceasefire of around 120 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in November 2023. Many of the remaining 76 hostages are believed to be dead.
Last week, Hamas released five Thai farm workers who were taken prisoner during a war-caused cross-border raid.
If negotiations are successful in converting a temporary ceasefire into a permanent ceasefire, Hamas releases the captured male soldiers and begins handing over the bodies of the dead hostages. That would require Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza.
These talks were scheduled to begin this week, but Israel has not yet dispatched high-level teams to Qatar or Egypt.
When Netanyahu ends the war, he risks the collapse of his dominant right-wing coalition, including far-right parties. Their demands include continuing combat operations, a permanent re-occupying of the Gaza Strip, and the expulsion of Palestinians that ring out by Trump’s proposal.
Hamas rejected these plans. This was also condemned by the American Arab and European allies.
