Hamas Begins Hostage Release as Israel Prepares to Free Hundreds of Palestinian Prisoners

Hamas has handed over the first of six hostages in a prisoner exchange deal, with Israel set to release hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

Two of the six Israeli hostages set to be released by Hamas in Gaza have been transferred to the Red Cross in Rafah.

Crowds in Tel Aviv celebrated as Avera Mengistu, who was captured by Hamas in 2014, and Tal Shoham, 40, were released.

Four additional hostages are anticipated to be freed in Nuseirat, located in central Gaza. Hamas has identified them as Omer Wenkert, aged 23; Eliya Cohen, aged 27; Omer Shem Tov, aged 22; and Hisham al-Sayed.

In exchange, Israel is set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, as reported by the media office for Palestinian prisoners.

This follows Israel’s announcement that a body returned by Hamas earlier this week was mistakenly identified as Shiri Bibas. However, the family has since confirmed that another body given to them by Hamas on Friday is indeed hers.

The release on Saturday will mark the conclusion of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was implemented on January 19.

Two of the six hostages scheduled for release today are currently being transferred to Red Cross officials in Rafah, located in southern Gaza.

The two hostages are Avera Mengistu, who was captured in 2014 after crossing into Gaza, and Tal Shoham, 40 years old, who was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th, 2023.

In addition, four more hostages are anticipated to be released today in Nuseirat, located in central Gaza.

Of the six hostages scheduled for release today, four were captured during Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The other two have been held in Gaza for ten years.

The six include:

Eliya Cohen, aged 27, along with his girlfriend, initially sought refuge in a shelter to hide from the Hamas attackers on October 7. However, he was eventually discovered and taken away. In June, video footage released by Hamas captured the moment when Eliya and others were taken prisoner.

Omer Shem Tov, a 22-year-old, initially fled in his car but was apprehended when he attempted to rescue his friends, Maya and Itai Regev. All three were taken captive; however, the Regev siblings were released in November 2023 and reported that they had been held with Omer during their captivity.

Tal Shoham, a 40-year-old, was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri. His wife Adi, their two young children, and his mother-in-law Dr. Shosham Haran were also captured but released in November 2023. During the attack on October 7th, Dr. Haran’s husband Avshalom was killed.

Omer Wenkert, a 23-year-old restaurant manager, informed his family that he was heading to a safe shelter but subsequently lost contact with them. His family reported seeing Hamas video footage showing Omer in handcuffs and only wearing underwear.

Hisham al-Sayed is a Bedouin Arab Israeli who has been detained in Gaza since 2015. According to Hamas, both he and Avera Mengistu are soldiers; however, Israeli documents reviewed by Human Rights Watch indicate that they are civilians exempted from military service. Both individuals entered Gaza independently. In June 2022, Hamas released a video depicting al-Sayed as a captive.

Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli individual, was captured by Hamas in 2014. In January, Hamas released a brief video clip without a date showing a man speaking Hebrew and saying: “I am the captive Avera Mengistu. For how much longer will I remain in captivity with my friends?” The Free Avera campaign informed the BBC that his family confirmed it was him in 2023.

BBC