Latest news with #AveraMengistu
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas frees six hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees
STORY: Hamas freed six hostages from Gaza on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu were released first, in southern Gaza's Rafah. Followed by Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival in Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. They were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat to be transported to Israeli forces. Dozens of militants stood guard in a crowd that had gathered to watch the handover, as armed and masked Hamas men stood on each side of the three men. Hamas later handed over a sixth hostage in Gaza City, Hisham Al-Sayed, with no public ceremony. Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been held by Hamas since they entered Gaza of their own accord around a decade ago. Shoham was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri along with his wife and two children, who were freed in a brief truce in November 2023. The six are the last living hostages from a group of 33 due to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that took effect on January 19. Hundreds of Israelis gathered in what has become known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Some lit candles under photos of the Bibas family, whose bodies were returned this week. The Hamas-directed hostage releases have included public ceremonies in which captives are taken on stage and some made to speak. They have faced criticism, with the United Nations denouncing what it calls the "parading of hostages." Hamas rejected the criticism Saturday, describing the ceremonies as a solemn show of Palestinian unity. In return for the hostages, Israel is expected to release over 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in its jails. They will include 445 Gazans rounded up by Israeli forces during the war, as well as dozens of convicts serving lengthy or life terms. Around 60 more Israeli captives, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, remain in Gaza.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas releases 6 more hostages, signals readiness for next phase of shaky ceasefire
Hamas on Saturday released six Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, signaling readiness for the next phase of a shaky ceasefire. Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham were handed to the Red Cross and eventually to Israel in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Both were taken on an Israeli Air Force helicopter to the hospital to be reunited with their families and to undergo medical treatment, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Three others — Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen — were released in central Gaza, first handed to the Red Cross and then over to Israel. They were accompanied by IDF special forces and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA). Israel's military said Saturday that they will also undergo medical testing upon their return. 'The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,' the IDF said. The sixth hostage, who was freed later Saturday, was not immediately identified. It is expected to be Hisham al-Sayed, 36, a Bedouin Israeli with a history of mental health illness, crossed on his own into Gaza in 2015 and had been held since, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this week, Hamas was expected to deliver the remains of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother who was taken hostage with her husband and two children during the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. Israel said Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., delivered the wrong body. The move angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that repercussions were coming for Hamas if the situation wasn't rectified. Israel confirmed on Friday that Hamas has since released Bibas's body. Hamas said Israel will release over 600 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. It would be the largest freeing of inmates since the fragile ceasefire between the two sides began on Jan. 19. The first phase of the three-phase ceasefire is set to last six weeks. The two sides have not forged an agreement for the second phase as of yet. The next steps are expected to include the release of the remaining hostages and the Israeli military withdrawing fully from the Gaza Strip. The tenuous ceasefire came after the two sides fought for over 15 months. Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on the south of Israel killed around 1,200 Israelis and around 250 people were taken hostage. IDF responded by bombarding Gaza, a military operation that killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The tally does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Jazeera
22-02-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Hamas releases six Israeli captives in Gaza as part of ceasefire deal
Sixth captive to be handed over by Hamas to Israeli authorities in Gaza City without a ceremony. 22 Feb 2025 | Updated: Hamas has released six Israeli captives from Gaza ahead of the release of hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons in the final swap under the first phase of the ceasefire between the Palestinian group and Israel. The first two captives, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, were handed over to the Red Cross in Rafah in southern Gaza on Saturday after they were led onto a stage by armed Hamas fighters. Three more captives – Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert and Omer Shem Tov – were later released to Red Cross officials in Nuseirat in central Gazain a separate ceremony. Hisham al-Sayed, was the last captive to be handed over to the Red Cross on Saturday. The 37-year-old Bedouin Israeli was taken captive when he entered Gaza in April 2015. The six are the last from a group of 33 to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire, which took effect on January 19. Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Nuseirat, said a large crowd has gathered to witness the release of the three captives. 'We see reinforcements from the Qassam Brigades in order to maintain order and safety of the process,' he reported, referring to Hamas's armed wing. 'Compared with past handovers, the scene here at Nuseirat looks more organised.' Our correspondent said that Hamas did not give any explanation why there was a last-minute change of the plan to release four captives in Nuseirat. Speaking to Al Jazeera before the release, Professor Sami al-Arian from Istanbul Zaim University said the elaborate staging of the handover is a way for Hamas to signal it is responsible stakeholders by 'showing the whole world that they were trying to keep them [the captives] alive, keep them safe'. Later on Saturday, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinians held in its jails. It includes 445 people detained by Israeli forces during its war on Gaza as well as dozens serving lengthy or life terms, according to Hamas. The fragile ceasefire had been threatened with derailment by the misidentification of a body released on Thursday as that of Shiri Bibas, who was taken captive with her two young sons and husband in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.
Saudi Gazette
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Hamas hands over six Israeli captives in latest prisoner exchange
GAZA CITY — Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, handed over six Israeli captives to the Red Cross on Saturday at three locations in Gaza as part of the seventh prisoner exchange under the ceasefire agreement that took effect on January captives were released in Rafah, southern Gaza: Tal Shoham, identified as an operative in the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and Avera Mengistu, who was captured in 2014 after crossing into Gaza under unclear three more captives —Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem-Tov, and Omer Wenkert— were released in Nuseirat, in central sixth captive, Hisham Al-Sayed, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship who was also captured in 2014 under unknown circumstances, was released later in the day without a formal of the Red Cross signed an official transfer protocol with Al-Qassam Brigades, ensuring the safe handover of the Israeli army confirmed in a statement that it had received the captives, who were en route to Tel Aviv for initial medical return, 602 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons will be released as part of the ceasefire deal, implemented last month, temporarily halted Israel's military operations in Gaza, which have killed more than 48,000 people, mostly women and children, and devastated the enclave. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its actions in the enclave. — Agencies
The Independent
22-02-2025
- The Independent
Hamas freed five Israeli hostages under phase one of ceasefire
Hamas has released five Israeli hostages, including Avera Mengistu, who had been held captive in Gaza for over ten years. Mengistu was captured in 2014 after crossing into Gaza and was released alongside Tal Shoham, 40, who was seized during Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. The hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Rafah. Three additional Israelis—Omer Wenkert, 23, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Eliya Cohen, 27—were also freed after being kidnapped during the same attack.
