Hamas militants released three Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of the fifth exchange under an ongoing ceasefire agreement in Gaza. In return, 183 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were set to be released later in the day.
The exchange took place amid mounting tensions following controversial remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had proposed clearing out the Gaza Strip of its residents and placing the territory under U.S. control — a plan that sparked global condemnation and was swiftly rejected by Hamas.
Jubilant crowds in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, gathered to watch live footage of the handover. The hostages, identified as Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami, were escorted by masked gunmen and presented on stage in Deir el-Balah before being transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross. A banner bearing images of destroyed Israeli armored vehicles and a somber-looking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hung behind them.
Security was tight, with dozens of armed Hamas fighters surrounding the stage to maintain order as crowds gathered.
The Hostages and Their Ordeals
The three released hostages have endured harrowing experiences. Sharabi, 52, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Beeri, where Hamas militants killed his wife and two daughters, setting their safe room on fire after shooting their dog. Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival, where gunmen killed his wife. Ben Ami, who holds both Israeli and German citizenship, spent his 56th birthday in captivity.
Former Hostage Urges Action for Family’s Return
On Friday, former hostage Yarden Bibas, released last week, made an emotional plea to Prime Minister Netanyahu for the return of his wife and children. Bibas, who had been taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack, urged the Israeli government to bring back all hostages.
Hamas had previously announced the deaths of Bibas’ wife Shiri and their two sons, Ariel and Kfir, but Israeli authorities have yet to confirm their deaths.
International and Domestic Reactions
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is currently in Washington, has been monitoring the hostage exchange from the U.S. His office emphasized the importance of continuing the ceasefire. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy group, has urged the government to stick to the agreement, despite the recent backlash sparked by Trump’s proposal.
“An entire nation demands to see the hostages return home,” the Forum said in a statement. “Now is the time to ensure the agreement is completed — until the very last one.”
Ongoing Ceasefire and Further Negotiations
So far, Hamas has freed 18 hostages in exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails. The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, aims to secure the release of 33 hostages during the initial 42-day phase.
Negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire are scheduled to begin Monday, with the goal of securing the release of more hostages and working toward a permanent end to the conflict.
Since the October 7 attack, which saw Hamas militants capture 251 hostages, 73 remain in captivity. The Israeli military has confirmed that 34 of the hostages are deceased. Meanwhile, Israel’s ongoing military retaliation in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 47,583 people, the majority of whom are civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The United Nations has confirmed the reliability of these figures.
As the ceasefire continues to hold, efforts to resolve the situation remain at a fragile juncture, with both sides navigating the complexities of hostage exchanges and broader peace negotiations.
