Three Israeli hostages, two women and an 80-year-old man, were freed in Gaza on Thursday as part of the ongoing prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.
However, the chaotic circumstances surrounding the release of two hostages in Khan Younis led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay his country’s release of Palestinian prisoners until later in the day.
Despite the delay, Israel later proceeded with the release of Palestinian detainees from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
Buses carrying what was expected to be 110 freed prisoners were seen leaving the facility about two hours after Netanyahu’s office initially halted the process.
Netanyahu’s spokesperson stated that the release would not proceed until Israel was assured of the safe return of its hostages in the coming days.
A subsequent statement from the prime minister’s office confirmed that ceasefire mediators had guaranteed safer conditions for future exchanges.
“Israel insists that lessons will be learned and that in future times there will be extra care to return our abductees safely,” the statement read.
Some of the Palestinian detainees released on Thursday had been accused or convicted of serious crimes, including attacks on Israelis. While most were allowed to remain in the West Bank, some were sent to third countries, according to Israeli officials.
In addition to the Israeli hostages, five Thai nationals held captive in Gaza were also released as part of a separate agreement.
The first Israeli freed on Thursday was 20-year-old soldier Agam Berger. She was handed over to the Red Cross in northern Gaza’s devastated Jabalia Refugee Camp. Berger, the last remaining hostage from an unarmed, all-female Israeli military unit that had been monitoring Gaza, was reunited with her parents following her transfer to Israeli authorities.
Seven soldiers from Berger’s unit were taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages.
The second and third Israeli hostages released were soldier Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80, the oldest of those taken captive.
The Israel Defense Forces (confirmed their transfer to Red Cross care before being handed over to Israeli forces.
Unlike Berger’s relatively orderly release, the handover of Yehoud and Moses in Khan Younis was chaotic
Reacting to the disorderly nature of the exchange, Netanyahu strongly condemned what he described as “shocking scenes,” stating, “another proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the terrorist organization Hamas.”
“I demand from the mediators to make sure that such threats will not happen again, and to guarantee the safety of our abductees,” he added.
Hamas, in a statement, characterized the mass gathering as “a message of determination and defiance” against Israeli occupation.
“It says our people will remain on their land, and are determined to accomplish their project of liberation, return, and self-determination,” the group stated.
Hamas did not immediately respond to Netanyahu’s decision to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The delay marked the second time Netanyahu had postponed aspects of the hostage-prisoner swap process, attributing both instances to Hamas’ actions.
According to the initial agreement, Yehoud was supposed to be among four women released on January 24.
However, after she was not included in that exchange, Israel refused to allow Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern and southern Gaza. Following further negotiations, Hamas agreed to Thursday’s release of Yehoud, and in return, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross the corridor earlier this week.
Since then, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza, with many discovering their homes reduced to rubble and reuniting with family members they had been separated from for months.
Hamas and its allies are expected to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages during the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19. Negotiations for the more challenging second phase of the agreement are expected to begin soon.
The next round of the prisoner swap, the fourth since the deal took effect is scheduled for Saturday, during which male hostages held in Gaza are expected to be released.
Following Thursday’s exchange, Israeli officials reported that 82 hostages remain in Gaza, including both living and deceased individuals.
Among them are seven U.S. dual nationals, including Keith Siegel, 65, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey.
Four other Americans are believed to have been killed, but there is no clear timeline for when any of the remaining U.S. hostages might be freed.
Senior Hamas political official Bassem Naim reiterated the group’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement, stating, “We will do our best to make it work and will try to overcome the obstacles and challenges, but we expect that the Israelis will keep trying to find reasons to stop implementing the deal, partly to cover up their failure in achieving any of their goals in Gaza, or due to the scenes that showed the will of the people in Gaza.”
