A launched hostage Or Levy, who was seized through the lethal Oct. 7, 2023, assault by Hamas, is seen along with his brother via a window of a helicopter that lands at Sheba Medical Middle, for therapy following his launch from Gaza, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Feb. 8, 2025.
Nir Elias | Reuters
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday handed over three Israeli hostages whose gaunt look shocked Israelis, and Israel started liberating dozens of Palestinians within the newest stage of a ceasefire aimed toward ending the struggle in Gaza.
Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who had been taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri through the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Or Levy, who was kidnapped that day from the Nova music competition, had been led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen.
The three males appeared skinny, weak and pale, in worse situation than the 18 different hostages already freed below the truce agreed in January after 15 months of struggle.
“He regarded like a skeleton, it was terrible to see,” Ohad Ben Ami’s mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, advised Channel 13 Information as she watched the Hamas-directed handover ceremony, which included the hostages answering questions posed by a masked man as militants armed with automated rifles stood on both sides.
In one other present of pressure by Hamas, which has paraded fighters throughout earlier releases, dozens of its militants deployed in central Gaza as it handed hostages over to the Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross.
Individuals transport a affected person as Palestinian prisoners are greeted after being launched from an Israeli jail, as a part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb 8, 2025.
Hatem Khaled | Reuters
The hostages had been then pushed in ICRC vehicles to Israeli forces and into Israel, the place they’d tearful reunions with relations, and flown to hospitals. “We missed you a lot,” the mom of Or Levy, Geula, mentioned as she hugged her son.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the sight of the frail hostages was surprising and can be addressed.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog described the discharge ceremony as cynical and cruel. “That is what a criminal offense in opposition to humanity seems like,” he mentioned.
The Hostage Households Discussion board mentioned the pictures of the hostages evoked photos of survivors of Nazi focus camps through the Holocaust. “We’ve to get ALL THE HOSTAGES out of hell,” it mentioned.
In alternate for the hostages’ launch, Israel was liberating 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in assaults that killed dozens of individuals, as nicely as 111 detained in Gaza through the struggle.
Cheering crowds greeted the buses as they arrived in Gaza, embracing the freed detainees, a few of them weeping with pleasure and tearing prison-issued bracelets off their wrists.
Amongst these freed in Ramallah, within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, was Eyad Abu Shkaidem, sentenced to 18 life phrases in Israel for masterminding suicide assaults in revenge for Israel’s 2004 assassinations of Hamas leaders.
“Right this moment, I’m reborn,” Shkaidem advised reporters as the group cheered.
The Palestinian Purple Crescent medical service mentioned six of the 42 launched within the West Financial institution had been unwell and had been taken to hospital. Some prisoners complained of ill-treatment. “The occupation humiliated us for over a yr,” mentioned Shkaidem.
Painful return
Some hostages face a painful return. Sharabi’s two teenage daughters and his British-born spouse had been slain within the Hamas assault on Kibbutz Be’eri, the place one in 10 residents was killed.
Israel’s Channel 12 mentioned Sharabi had not been advised about their deaths and requested the place they had been when he arrived.
Levy will likely be reunited along with his three-year-old son. His spouse was killed within the assault.
Dr Hagar Mizrachi from Israel’s Ichilov Hospital mentioned the hostages exhibited extreme weight reduction and malnutrition.
Freed Palestinian prisoners are greeted after being launched from an Israeli jail, as a part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 8, 2025.
Ramadan Abed | Reuters
Sixteen Israeli and 5 Thai hostages have been launched up to now and 583 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been freed.
The primary 42-day part of the ceasefire, mediated by Washington, Cairo and Doha, has largely held because it took impact on Jan. 19.
Netanyahu despatched a delegation for talks in Doha on Saturday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported, citing a political supply.
Concern the deal would possibly collapse earlier than all remaining 76 hostages are free has grown since President Donald Trump’s shock name for Palestinians to be moved from Gaza and for the enclave to be handed to the USA and developed into the “Riviera of the Center East.”
Arab states and Palestinian teams have rejected Trump’s proposal, which critics mentioned would quantity to ethnic cleaning. Hamas mentioned on Saturday its armed show on the hostage handover confirmed it couldn’t be excluded from post-war Gaza preparations.
Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s intervention and his protection minister has ordered the navy to make plans to permit Palestinians who want to go away Gaza to take action.
Underneath the ceasefire deal, 33 Israeli youngsters, girls and sick, wounded and older males are to be launched through the first stage in alternate for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Negotiations on a second part started this week aimed toward returning the remaining hostages and agreeing on a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in preparation for a remaining finish to the struggle.
Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 individuals and seized greater than 250 as hostages within the Oct. 7, 2023 assault, in response to Israeli tallies.
The offensive Israel launched in response in Gaza has killed greater than 47,000 Palestinians, in response to Gaza well being authorities, and devastated a lot of the enclave.
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