Hamas released six hostages on Saturday in the latest exchange under a fragile ceasefire agreement. Still, heightened tensions and a dispute over the remains of a previously abducted Israeli woman cast a shadow over the future of the truce.
The released hostages included three Israeli men taken from the Nova music festival and another abducted while visiting family in southern Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks that sparked Israel’s nearly 16-month military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Two additional hostages, Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu had been held by Hamas for approximately a decade after entering Gaza independently.
READ: Confusion & Outrage In Israel After Hamas Fails To Return Body Of Hostage Mother, Shiri Bibas
Five of the hostages were released in highly publicized ceremonies, a practice previously condemned by Israel, the Red Cross, and the United Nations as cruel and disrespectful. Masked, armed Hamas fighters brought the hostages out before crowds of Palestinians in the central town of Nuseirat, before transferring them to Red Cross vehicles.
Video footage showed Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, and Eliya Cohen on stage with Hamas fighters. Shem Tov was seen kissing two militants on the head and blowing kisses to the crowd. Families and friends in Israel celebrated the release, with Shem Tov’s grandmother expressing overwhelming joy at seeing him.
The Israeli military confirmed the later release of Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, a Bedouin Israeli who crossed into Gaza in 2015 and has been held ever since. Al-Sayed’s family has stated he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The releases, which are to be followed by the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, followed a tense dispute earlier in the week. Hamas initially transferred the wrong body in place of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother taken hostage with her two young sons.
The remains were later identified as belonging to an unidentified Palestinian woman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge for what he called a “cruel and malicious violation,” while Hamas claimed it was a mistake.
READ: Ariel And Kfir Bibas, Young Hostages Abducted By Hamas, Confirmed Dead: IDF
On Friday night, the Palestinian Mujahedeen Brigades, a small militant group believed to have been holding Bibas and her sons, handed over a second body. Bibas’ family confirmed that Israeli forensic authorities had identified the remains as hers. “For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it’s here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure,” the family said in a statement.
The latest hostage release marks the end of the first phase of the current ceasefire deal. However, with the second phase yet to be finalized, the future of the truce remains uncertain.
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