It was the first time hostages freed during this phase of the ceasefire have been made to make public statements during their release
Hostage Ohad Ben Ami, 56, appeared gaunt as armed Hamas fighters led him onto a stage set up in the town of Deir al-Balah. Pic/PTI
Hamas-led militants released three more hostages, all Israeli civilian men, to the Red Cross on Saturday, and Israel was to free dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip.
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The three hostages—Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34—appeared very gaunt and pale as armed Hamas fighters led them from a white van onto a stage set up in the town of Deir al-Balah. They will soon be taken for medical treatment and reunite with their relatives after 16 months in captivity. This was the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began on January 19.
Before a crowd of hundreds of people, Hamas fighters pointed a microphone at each of the three in turn and made them make a public statement, before handing them over to waiting Red Cross officials. It was the first time hostages freed during this phase of the ceasefire have been made to make public statements during their release.
US President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by the Palestinians and most of the international community, does not appear to have affected the current phase of the truce, which runs until early March.
It is not clear whether Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.
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