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16-02-2025
JERUSALEM/ GAZA: Hamas has released three Israeli hostages, after days of fears over future of the Gaza ceasefire.
The hostages are now back in Israel.
Israel is releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners in return – a few went to the West Bank, the majority are now arriving in Gaza.
Hamas said on Monday it would not release hostages this weekend, blaming Israel for alleged violations of the ceasefire.
Israel said if hostages weren’t released by midday (local time) on Saturday, it would resume attacks on Gaza.
Crowds in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, are waiting for the Palestinian detainees to arrive.
Among the crowd are relatives of those returning to Gaza following detention in Israeli prisons.
Below you can see images of some of those waiting in the crowd.
It is the sixth such release since a fragile ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas last month.
Hamas released three hostages, Alexander Troufanov, a 29-year-old Russian-Israeli, Yair Horn, a 46-year-old Argentine-Israeli, and Sagui Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old American-Israeli.
Taking place in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, the handover to the Red Cross was highly-choreographed and less chaotic than other hostage releases in recent weeks, and was staged against a backdrop of armed men and pro-Hamas imagery.
The ceremony was criticised by Israel, but Israeli officials thanked US President Donald Trump for his statements in recent days.
Israel is releasing 369 Palestinians today, 36 of them have been serving life sentences, and 333 were detained without charge, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told media that five Palestinian prisoners released in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank were taken straight to hospital, saying five had “chronic illnesses” and one man had a broken leg.
The majority of the Palestinian prisoners being released today will be taken to Gaza, some are being released in the West Bank, and most of the 36 serving life sentences will reportedly be deported to Egypt.
Waiting in Ramallah today was Nadeerah Abu Radha, whose brother-in-law was among those to be freed.
“I cannot describe the feeling joy, sorrow and pain for the people who are still inside,” she says.
Radha adds that she has known since the first week of the ceasefire deal that her brother-in-law Amir would be released, but that it wasn’t until last night that they got confirmation.
“We’d wait and wait and then he wouldn’t come. We’ve been on edge from the tension and stress,” she says.
“If he didn’t come out in this deal, we don’t think he’d ever come out.”
Radha also shared that her husband wept when they got the confirmation of his brother’s release.
The Israeli prison service says Amir was detained in 2002 during the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising – for offences including military training, intentional causing of death, and attempted murder.
All 369 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released have left Israeli prisons, a spokesperson from the Israel Prison Service has said. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
