Hamas hands over final 6 hostages under first phase of cease-fire in exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners

Yahoo

22-02-2025

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Six living hostages are back home in Israel after Hamas released them in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisons on Saturday.
Hamas has now released all 25 living Israeli hostages as the first phase of the agreement ended. The cease-fire began Jan. 25.
Hamas and its allies continue to hold 63 Israeli hostages in Gaza. At least 32 of those are believed to be dead, according to the Israeli government. Hadar Goldin, a soldier, has been held since 2014.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the freed hostages "return from the depths of hell to begin the process of healing and recovery alongside their loving families, who fought with all their strength for them."
He said the "completion of a hostage deal is a humanitarian, moral, and Jewish imperative."
Hostage details
Two hostages were captured about a decade ago and the other four were taken during the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
The hostages released Saturday were in stages, and they received medical assessments before being reunited with their families.
Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were first turned over to Red Cross officials in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Shoham was kidnapped from kibbutz Be'eri with his two children, his wife and mother-in-law, all of whom were released in November 2023. Mengistu, who is an Israeli from Ashkelon, crossed into Gaza in 2014 and was captured.
Shoam's family said: "This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together. Our Tal is with us."
A video showed Mengistu meeting family members upon arrival at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv. He was captive for 3,821 days.
His family said: "Ten years and five months of unimaginable suffering have passed for our family. During this time, relentless efforts were made to bring him back - prayers and cries, some silent, that went unanswered until today."
Then, in a separate location in Nuseirat, central Gaza, three hostages, Eliya Cohen, 27; Omer Shem Tov, 22; and Omer Wenkert, 23, were released. Thousands, including Hamas fighters, gathered. Children appeared on the stage wearing shirts with photographs of killed Hamas leaders.
They were kidnapped at the Nova music festival near the border with Gaza. Though they were thin, their condition conditions were better than previously freed hostages.
Wenkert was seen in video footage reuniting with his parents, Niva and Shai, at an Israeli Defenses Force facility near the Gaza border, after 505 days in Hamas captivity.
Shem Tov blew a kiss toward the crowd. His family said "thank you to God, to the people of Israel for their prayers, strength, and love. Thank you to the soldiers who sacrificed for this moment, to everyone involved in the negotiations and diplomatic effort.
"We will continue to fight together with all the families and the Hostages Families Forum, Our lives are intertwined until everyone returns."
Cohen's family said it is "overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude," and had no information about his condition until he was released.
"This moment, which should be filled with joy, is also accompanied by pain over what he endured there, and for the families of those killed in the war," the family said. "Finally, Eliya can be surrounded by his loved ones, his family, and his girlfriend, and begin a new path."
Hisham al-Sayed, 37, an Arab-Israeli from a Bedouin community in southern Israel who walked into Gaza in 2015, went to the Red Cross in Gaza City, according to an Israeli security source and a Hamas source.
The family of Al-Sayad, who spent more than 3,600 days in captivity, said: "After nearly a decade of fighting for his return, the long-awaited moment has finally arrived. We extend our gratitude to the entire people of Israel, who stood by us and supported us over the years. A special thanks to the families of the hostages and the headquarters that embraced us and saw us as a natural part of the struggle to bring everyone home."
Prisoner details
Of the 600 prisoners and detainees, 50 had been serving life sentences, another 60 long ones and 445 were destined since the war, according to the Palestinians Prisoners Office.
The Palestinians Prisoners Office said on Saturday that it had received the list of some 600 prisoners and detainees expected to be freed in return. Of those, 50 had been serving life sentences, 60 had been serving long sentences, while 445 were detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
At the European Hospital in Khan Younis, families awaited the arrival of the buses of the Red Cross.
More than 100 Palestinian women and children under the age of 19 were released.
Second phase
Israel and Hamas are conducting negotiations to extend the cease-fire, which ends Saturday.
The second phase could include Hamas the release of remaining Israeli hostages, alive and dead, in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas on Saturday signaled it is prepared to hand over all remaining Israeli hostages, alive and dead.
Hamas said In a statement it seeks a "comprehensive exchange process" that will lead to a "permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of the occupation."
Alon Pinkas, former ambassador and consul general of Israel in New York, told Al Jazeera, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "is not interested in phase two. This phase will include Israeli force reduction in Gaza on day 42, which is a week from now. On day 50, it includes not just a force reduction, but a withdrawal.
"Politically, he can afford neither the withdrawal nor the official end of the war."
Body returned Friday night
On Friday night, the remains of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday night, after an outcry over Hamas having released the wrong body.
Bibas' remains were to be among those of four hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday, alongside her sons, Kfir and Ariel, and another captive, Oded Lifshitz.
But forensic tests by Israeli authorities confirmed those remains were two boys and Lifshitz, the fourth body was not that of Shiri Bibas - and nor did it match that of any other Israeli hostage.
"Last night, our Shiri was brought home. After the identification process at the Institute for Forensic Medicine, we received the news this morning that we had feared: our Shiri was murdered in captivity," said a statement from her family provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Saturday.
Another four hostage bodies are scheduled to be released next week.