Hamas freed three Israeli and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process in anger at the swarming crowds at one of the hostage handover points.
Arbel Yehoud (29), abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7th, 2023, looked fearful and struggled to walk through the crowd as armed militants handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Another Israeli hostage, Gadi Moses (80), was also released along with five Thai nationals working on Israeli farms near Gaza when the militants burst through the border fence.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the sight of their chaotic handover was shocking and threatened death to anyone hurting hostages.
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He and defence minister Israel Katz said they had ordered a delay in the releases of the prisoners “until the safe exit of our hostages in the next phases is assured”. The prime minister’s office said later that mediators had committed to ensuring the safe passage of hostages in future handovers.
Later on Thursday, buses arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah carrying some of the 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of the phased agreement that halted more than 15 months of war in the coastal territory on January 19th.
Zakaria Zubaidi, one of the leaders of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas' rival the Fatah group, was the most prominent Palestinian prisoner to be freed. He escaped from prison in 2021 with three other inmates, but was then captured.
He has always been known as the strongman of the West Bank city of Jenin, a hotbed of Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation and site of frequent Israeli army raids, including a major operation just a week ago.
Palestinian health officials said at least 14 Palestinians were hurt by Israeli fire, some with live and rubber bullets, others from gas inhalation, as they gathered at the entrance to Ramallah to welcome the freed detainees.
Video footage showed Palestinians throwing stones towards police and then running away as police began firing.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Earlier, in Jabalia in northern Gaza, an Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, wearing an olive green uniform, was led through a narrow alley between heavily damaged buildings and over piles of rubble before being handed to the Red Cross.
“Our daughter is strong, faithful, and brave,” a statement from her family said. “Now Agam and our family can begin the healing process, but the recovery will not be complete until all the hostages return home.”
A video released by Mr Netanyahu’s office showed a pale Berger crying and smiling while sitting on her mother’s lap.
Mr Netanyahu has faced criticism in Israel for not having sealed a hostage deal earlier after the security failure that enabled the October 7th Hamas assault.
Hamas, which Israel has vowed to obliterate, still has a strong presence in Gaza despite heavy bombardment from the Middle East’s most advanced military for more than 15 months and the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar.
The release in Khan Younis took place near the bombed ruins of Sinwar’s house.
The Palestinian prisoners include 30 minors and some convicted members of Palestinian groups responsible for deadly attacks that have killed dozens of people in Israel.
Israelis gathered in what has become known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, cheering and crying as they watched the release on a giant screen. The hostages will be taken to hospital for treatment.
As US president Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at the square, some people cheered in apparent gratitude for his role in securing the ceasefire deal. He shook hands with family members of hostages and others.
About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were abducted in the Hamas attack in Israel, the bloodiest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Among the dead and abducted were dozens of Thai agricultural workers.
Israel’s military response has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and laid waste to the enclave of 2.3 million people, who face severe shortages of medicine, fuel and food.
Around half the hostages were released last November during the only previous truce. Others have been recovered dead or alive during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans, most displaced repeatedly during the conflict, have returned to their neighbourhoods in the north, where the fighting was most intense. Many have found their homes to be uninhabitable and basic goods in short supply.
Israel still lists 82 captives in Gaza, with about 30 declared dead in absentia. – Reuters
