Hamas, Israel Complete Fourth Gaza Truce Swap
Date
2/1/2025 11:01:17 PM
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Palestinian resistance movement Hamas freed three Israeli hostages Saturday in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody in the fourth such swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
Hostages Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas were paraded on stage by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. American-Israeli Keith Siegel was freed in a similar ceremony at Gaza City's port in the north.
The Israeli military later confirmed that all three were back in Israel.
Later in the day, a bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners was greeted by a cheering crowd in the West Bank city of Ramallah, while three others were met by hundreds of well-wishers in Khan Younis.
Several of the freed inmates were hoisted onto the shoulders of well-wishers, including an elderly man who raised his crutches over his head in triumph.
After holding the hostages for more than 15 months, fighters in Gaza began releasing them on January 19 under the terms of the ceasefire deal, reached after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have so far handed over 18 hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A total of 183 prisoners were freed Saturday, all of them Palestinian except for one Egyptian.
Hamas sources said a fifth hostage-prisoner exchange would take place next Saturday.
Hundreds had gathered in the Tel Aviv plaza dubbed "Hostage Square" to watch live television coverage of the latest releases.
Ahead of the releases in Khan Younis and Gaza City, scores of masked Hamas fighters stood guard in an apparent effort to prevent large crowds forming.
After Saturday's hostage release, Gaza's key Rafah border crossing with Egypt was reopened, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory saying 50 Palestinian patients in need of specialist treatment had passed through.
Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News showed footage of the first evacuees, who included 30 children with cancer.
The ceasefire's 42-day first phase hinges on the release of a total of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,900 people, mostly Palestinians, held in Israeli jails.
Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are set to start on Monday.
The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.
MENAFN01022025000067011011ID1109157058
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.