Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed negotiators to return to Qatar to discuss the delicate ceasefire regarding the conflict with Hamas, following the completion of the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange agreed upon under the truce.
He reiterated his commitment to defeating Hamas and liberating all remaining hostages, condemning the militant organization as “monsters” after three captives were handed over in Gaza, appearing emaciated and obligated to make statements on stage.
The medical facility caring for the three Israeli hostages released from Gaza reported that Or Levy and Eli Sharabi were in a “poor medical condition,” while Ohad Ben Ami was in a “severe nutritional state.”
Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to defeating Hamas and liberating all remaining hostages.
Among the 183 inmates released by Israel, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group noted that seven required hospitalization, criticizing the “brutality” and mistreatment experienced while in custody.
The fifth exchange since the truce began last month coincided with the onset of negotiations for the next phase of the ceasefire, aimed at paving the way for a permanent resolution to the conflict.
However, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim warned that Israel’s “procrastination and lack of commitment to implementing the first phase… puts this agreement at risk of stopping or collapsing”.
In an interview with AFP, he referred to the hostages’ condition as “acceptable under the difficult circumstances that Gaza is experiencing”.
Yesterday’s swap followed statements by President Donald Trump suggesting the United States should take control of the Gaza Strip and remove its inhabitants, which provoked global outrage.
According to the Israeli military, the three Israeli hostages who were captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that instigated the war “crossed the border into Israeli territory” yesterday.
With their return, 73 of the 251 hostages taken during the attack remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military states are deceased.
In Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, jubilant crowds cheered as they viewed live footage of the hostages, flanked by masked gunmen, being brought on stage in Deir el-Balah before being transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
An Israeli woman holds a placard for Ohad Ben Ami as others react to the release of hostages.
However, the joy of their return was quickly overshadowed by concern for their well-being, as all three appeared thin and pale.
Mr. Sharabi’s cousin, Yochi Sardinayof, remarked, “he doesn’t look well”.
“I’m confident he will now receive proper treatment and regain his strength… He has a supportive family, and we will all be there for him,” he added.
The staged handover involved forced statements from the three hostages, who expressed support for finalizing the next phases of the Israel-Hamas truce.
The “disturbing images” from Gaza illustrate that “we must get them all out,” according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group.
The ICRC has called on “all parties, including mediators, to take responsibility to guarantee that future releases occur in a dignified and private manner”.
Mr. Sharabi, 52, and Mr. Ben Ami, a 56-year-old dual German citizen, were both abducted from their homes in kibbutz Beeri during the militants’ attack on their community near the Gaza border.
Mr. Sharabi lost his wife and two daughters in the assault.
Mr. Levy was taken from the Nova music festival, where gunmen killed his wife.
In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, relatives and supporters gathered to welcome the inmates released by Israel, embracing them and cheering as they exited the bus that transported them from nearby Ofer prison.
Benjamin Netanyahu expressed that the sight of the frail hostages was shocking and would be addressed.
However, Fakhri Barghouti, 71, whose son was among the prisoners, recounted to AFP that Israeli soldiers raided his home and assaulted him, warning him against celebrating his son’s release.
“They entered after midnight, destroyed everything, took me into a side room, and beat me before leaving,” Mr. Barghouti told AFP.
“I was sent to the hospital, where I was found to have a broken rib,” he stated.
The Israeli military indicated in a statement that it had “conveyed messages that celebrations and processions in support of terrorism are prohibited during the release of the terrorists,” but did not respond immediately to Mr. Barghouti’s allegations.
Israel’s prison service announced that “183 terrorists… were released” to the West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of enforcing a “policy of… the slow killing of prisoners”.
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So far, Gaza militants have released 21 hostages, including 16 Israelis, in exchange for hundreds of mostly Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
Five Thai hostages released last week from Gaza were discharged from a hospital in central Israel, where they had received treatment since their release, and were on their way back to their home country.
The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, aims to secure the release of 17 more hostages during the remaining time of the 42-day initial phase.
The October 2023 attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,210 individuals, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory actions have resulted in at least 48,181 fatalities in Gaza, the majority being civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
