The first two of six Jewish victims that Hamas is preparing to release on Saturday are handed over to Hamas. The victims were transported onto a stage before being transported to Red Cross vehicles in Rafah, in southern Gaza, by masked and armed Hamas fighters.
As part of the trade, Israel promised to release 602 prisoners, according to the Arab Prisoners ‘ Club’s advocacy group.
The two released captives, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39, were transported towards a nearby cross into Israel. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since entering on his own in 2014. His home, watching the transfer on Israeli advertising, broke into the Hebrew music” Here is the Light” as they saw him for the first time in a century. Shoham, who was taken prisoner during the October 7, 2023, assault while visiting his sister’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri, has now been reunited with authorities. After seeing him on stage, his home informed Israeli media that they were” starting to swallow again.”
The Israeli government announced that the two captives had been freed were now being held in the Gaza Strip.
In order to facilitate the transfer, Red Cross paramedics arrived in Rafah earlier in the day. A series of Hamas fighters stood outside in the background as the vehicles were waiting among the crowds. While Shoham and Mengistu were freed in Rafah, the remaining four hostages—Omer Shem-Tov, 22, Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Wenkert, 23, and Hisham al-Sayed, 36—are expected to be released after in Nuseirat, core Gaza.
The delicate peace agreement is in danger as a result of this trade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised punishment, calling it” a violent and destructive contravention” of the deal. He was referring to an error in identifying a system that insurgents had released. After another figure was mistakenly identified as hers, Israeli forensic researchers determined that Shiri Bibas’s remains had been handed over. Eventually, it was discovered that the first system was a Arab woman who had not been identified.
” For 16 times we sought clarity, and now that it’s ok, it brings no satisfaction, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure”, the Bibas community said in a statement.
In trade for Israeli inmates held by Israel during the first step of the ceasefire, victims were freed. On Saturday, more than 600 Arab prisoners are set to be released, including 50 serving life words, 60 with long words, and 47 who had been freed in past slave markets but afterwards rearrested.
Despite continued issues, Hamas has stated it may continue with the agreed produces. The team’s military aircraft, Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed strategies to hand over four more Jewish hostages next year. If carried out, Hamas may still carry about 60 captives, about half of whom are believed to be dead. A permanent peace and a complete Israeli removal are required, according to the group.
Netanyahu, backed by US President Donald Trump‘s administration, has vowed to destroy Hamas ‘ defense and governing skills while ensuring the transfer of all victims. Arab countries have criticized Trump’s request to reduce roughly two million Palestinians from Gaza in order to fund US rebuilding efforts.
The combat, which has lasted over 15 months, has had devastating effects. Gaza’s health department information more than 48, 000 Arab incidents. Israel has stated it has killed over 17, 000 Hamas soldiers, though it has never provided data. At the top of the fight, 90 % of the people had to be driven out of Gaza, where the fighting has caused the area’s destruction. Some returning residents have discovered their homes destroyed and with no way to recover.
