Hamas frees last 6 living Israeli hostages due to be released in first stage of Gaza ceasefire

Khaleej Times

22-02-2025

Hamas freed six hostages from Gaza on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, after Israel confirmed that a body handed over hours earlier was that of hostage Shiri Bibas.
Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival in Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, were handed over to the Red Cross to be transported to Israeli forces.
Israeli military also confirmed that it received hostage Hisham Al Sayed has crossed and that he has crossed into Israeli.
Dozens of masked fighters stood guard in a crowd that had gathered to watch the handover, as Hamas men armed with automatic rifles stood on each side of the three hostages, who appeared thin and pale, as they were made to wave from the stage.
Tal Shoham, 40 and Avera Mengistu, 39, were released in southern Gaza's Rafah earlier.
The six are the last living hostages from a group of 33 due to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire deal that took effect on January 19. Around 60 more captives, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, remain in Gaza.
The Hamas-directed releases, which have included public ceremonies in which captives are taken on stage and some made to speak, have faced mounting criticism, including from the UN, which denounced the "parading of hostages".
Hamas rejected the criticism on Saturday, describing the ceremonies as a solemn show of Palestinian unity.
In return for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in its jails in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal that has largely held.
They will include 445 Gazans rounded up by Israeli forces during the war, as well as dozens of convicts serving lengthy or life terms, according to Hamas.
The fragile truce in the war between Israel and Hamas militants had been threatened with derailment by the misidentification of a body released on Thursday as that of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped with her two young sons and her husband in the Hamas 2023 attack.
However, late on Friday, Hamas handed over another body, which her family said had been confirmed to be hers.
"Last night, our Shiri was returned home," her family said in a statement, which said she had been identified by Israel's Institute of Forensic Medicine.
The ceasefire has brought a pause in the fighting, but prospects of a definitive end to the war remain unclear. Hamas has been at pains to demonstrate that it remains in control in Gaza despite heavy losses in the war.