Today, the long-awaited release of six Israeli hostages by Hamas was divided into two parts. The first to be released were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu. They were helped onto the stage set up by Hamas in Rafah by militants. The two were then taken to Red Cross vehicles and handed over to the Israeli armed forces.
A couple of hours later, three more hostages were brought onto the stage set up in Nuseirat, in central Gaza. Omer Shem Tov, 22, appeared to be smiling and seemed happy, greeting and kissing two Hamas militants near him. Shortly after, Omar Wankert and Elia Cohen were also brought onto the stage.
Hisham al-Sayed, the sixth hostage to be released today, will be handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross at a third release location in the city of Gaza, without ceremonies. Hisham is an Israeli Bedouin from the village of Hura in the Negev desert, who entered Gaza near the Erez crossing in April 2015 and has mental health issues. He has spent 3,600 days in captivity in Gaza, as reported by local media citing IDF sources.
Former hostages Omar Wankert, Elia Cohen, and Omer Shem Tov entered Israeli territory after being released by Hamas.
This concludes the release of 33 hostages still alive who were supposed to be freed in the first phase of the agreement. The first phase’s completion was scheduled for March 1st, but the parties agreed through mediators to release all six hostages today.
Watching the release of Omer Shem Tov on TV, his grandmother Sara recognized him smiling and greeting from the stage during Hamas’ propaganda ceremony, saying, “That’s Omer. He gets along with everyone. Even with Hamas… They love him there too,” as reported by Channel 12.
Avera Mengistu was held captive by Hamas for over a decade, making him the longest-living Israeli hostage. The 28-year-old Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent entered Gaza in 2014 near Zikim Beach, just north of the Strip. On October 7th, Tal Shoham was visiting Kibbutz Beeri with his wife Adi and their two children when they were all taken to Gaza. Adi and the children were released in November 2023.
Hamas claims to be ready to proceed with the second phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel and is pushing to accelerate the process of exchanging hostages and detainees. In a statement released this morning, Hamas reiterated its readiness for a “comprehensive exchange process” with the hostages leading to a “permanent ceasefire and complete IDF withdrawal from Gaza.”
As part of the hostage exchange, one of Hamas’ leaders in prison, Salama Katkawi, will be released today. The operation involves the release of 602 detainees in exchange for the return of six hostages. Among the Palestinian detainees to be released are prominent figures like Abdel Nasir Issa, responsible for two suicide bombings; Othman Balal, serving 27 life sentences for terrorist attacks, and Omar Azban, linked to attacks causing numerous civilian casualties. The detainees also include veterans like Naal al-Barguti, considered the longest-serving detainee, Alaa al-Bazziyan, and Samar al-Makhroom, convicted of a murder 40 years ago. Of the 602 detainees, 445 were arrested in Gaza during the war, 110 are deemed particularly dangerous, and 47 had been previously released in agreements only to be rearrested.
The Bibas family announced that experts from the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine have identified the body of Shiri, the mother of young Kfir and Ariel. “We received the news we feared the most: our Shiri was murdered in captivity,” the family wrote on their social media accounts Bring Bibas Back. The statement reads, “Now she has returned home to rest with her children.”
The kibbutz where Shiri was kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel confirmed her death. “With deep sorrow and grief, we announce the murder of Shiri Bibas, killed during captivity in Gaza,” stated Kibbutz Nir Oz in a release.
This morning, fighters from the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, were deployed at the site where the Israeli prisoners will be handed over in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Arab and Palestinian media outlets reported on this. Photos published by Quds News Network show armed and masked militants guarding a stage adorned with propaganda banners. Another similar stage was set up in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the Palestinian enclave, according to local media cited by the Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera.
On the stage in Rafah prepared by Hamas, there are the usual signs with messages like “We are the flood,” along with weapons and military equipment that the group claims were taken from the IDF on October 7, 2023. The strap of one of the guns is marked with the word “Ravshatz,” the Hebrew acronym for the head of a local security team, indicating it was taken from such an individual killed by terrorists during the October 7 attack, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
