DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages and Israel freed nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners Saturday in the latest exchange of a ceasefire agreement that has paused 16 months of war in Gaza.
The hostages’ condition and scenes of Hamas forcing them to speak in a handover ceremony sparked outrage in Israel and could increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire beyond its current six-week phase.
Netanyahu has signaled he would resume the war, even if that meant leaving dozens of hostages in Hamas captivity. “President Trump completely agreed with me: We will do everything to return all the hostages, but Hamas will not be there,” Netanyahu said after the exchange.
Before a crowd of hundreds, armed militants led Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34, onto a stage to make statements before handing them over to the Red Cross. The three civilian men were among about 250 people taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.
The joy of some Israelis watching their release turned to shock and tears when they saw their emaciated state. The men appeared in poorer condition than the 18 hostages previously set free.
Later Saturday, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners, some also appearing gaunt and weak. The Red Crescent said seven were taken to hospitals. Many Palestinians released during the ceasefire have appeared emaciated and pale, and have alleged abuses in Israeli custody.
It was the fifth exchange since the ceasefire began Jan. 19.
The Red Cross said it was “increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations” and urged all parties to ensure releases are dignified and private.
Doctor notes severe malnutrition
An Israeli Health Ministry representative, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, noted “severe malnutrition” and a “significant decrease” in body weight in the hostages released.
“We will not remain silent about this. A message has been passed on to the mediators, and action will be taken accordingly,” said Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu’s coordinator for hostages.
Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had made efforts to preserve the hostages’ lives “despite the (Israeli) bombardment.”
The ceasefire’s current phase does not appear to be affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and most of the international community.
But it could complicate talks over the second and more difficult phase, when Hamas is to release dozens more hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire. Hamas may be reluctant to free more captives — its main bargaining chip — if it believes the U.S. and Israel are serious about depopulating the territory, which rights groups say would violate international law.
The ceasefire’s first phase calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Israel says Hamas has confirmed eight of the 33 hostages are dead.
Twenty-one hostages — including five Thais not counted in the 33 — and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed. More than 70 hostages remain in Gaza but Israel believes 34 are dead.
Who was released
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Sharabi and Ben Ami were captured from Kibbutz Beeri, one of the farming communities hardest hit by the Hamas attack, while Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival.
Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed. His brother Yossi was abducted and died in captivity. Levy’s wife was killed. Ben Ami’s wife, Raz, was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023 that saw more than 100 hostages freed.
“It’s over, it’s over,” Levy’s brother Michael said as they embraced at a military base.
“I left XXL, I came back medium,” Ben Ami said as he hugged his daughters. One of them, Ella, told Israeli channel 12 that “it took me a moment to realize that this was my father.”
The Palestinian prisoners released include 18 serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis, 54 serving long-term sentences and 111 Palestinians from Gaza detained after the Oct. 7 attack but not tried for any crime. All are men, ages 20 to 61.
Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.
Seven of the released prisoners were transferred to Egypt. Others were transferred to Palestinian custody in the occupied West Bank, where cheering supporters welcomed them. Some had been detained over offenses ranging from bomb attacks to involvement in militant organizations.
They include Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, locked up for nearly 21 years over his involvement in Hamas attacks in crowded civilian areas that killed dozens of Israelis during the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. That included a 2004 suicide bus bombing in Beersheba that killed 16 people.
“From Oct. 7, 2023, to today we don’t know anything about what is happening outside the prison,” Shakhdam said.
Another is Jamal al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician. The military reported his last arrest in 2021 over alleged efforts to entrench Hamas’ leadership in the West Bank. He was transferred to administrative detention, a renewable six-month period in which suspects are held without charge or trial.
Ceasefire’s next phase is uncertain
Netanyahu on Saturday directed a delegation to go to Qatar to discuss the ceasefire agreement’s technical details, and the security Cabinet will meet about negotiations on the truce’s second phase, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss details of the talks with the news media.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached.
Israel says it is committed to destroying Hamas, which reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the ceasefire. Hamas says it won’t release remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal.
In the Oct. 7 attack, about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war, over half women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.
The Israeli military says it killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas for operating in residential neighborhoods.
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Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Isabel Debre in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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