Hamas-led militants released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages on Saturday, and Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip.
The hostages’ emaciated condition and scenes of Hamas forcing them to speak in a staged release ceremony sparked outrage in Israel and could increase the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire beyond its current six-week phase.
Netanyahu has previously signalled he would resume the war, even if that meant leaving dozens of remaining hostages in Hamas captivity.
Before a crowd of hundreds, armed Hamas fighters led Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, onto a stage to make public statements before handing them over to the Red Cross.
The three civilian men were among about 250 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked the war.
They appeared in much poorer physical condition than the previous 18 hostages released during the ceasefire that began January 19.
Later Saturday, Israel began releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom also appeared gaunt and weak. The Red Crescent said seven of those released were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Hostages’ condition sparks concern
The hostages’ emaciated condition and the public statements — a departure from previous hostage releases where the captives were not made to speak — sparked outrage in Israel.
“Israel views Hamas’ repeated violations with great severity, and the condition of the three hostages who were released this morning with even greater severity,” said Gal Hirsch, the Israeli prime minister’s coordinator for hostages.
“We will not remain silent about this. A message has been passed on to the mediators, and action will be taken accordingly.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “difficult scenes” were reason to extend the truce and bring home the remaining hostages.
In an apparent response to concerns over the released hostages’ health, Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed it had “made efforts to preserve their lives despite the (Israeli) bombardment.”
Many Palestinians released from Israeli jails during the ceasefire have also appeared gaunt and pale, and have alleged abuses and mistreatment in Israeli custody.
The current phase of the truce does not appear to have been affected by US President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, which was 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 — and lose its main bargaining chip — if it believes the US and Israel are serious about depopulating the territory, which rights groups say would violate international law.
The first phase of the ceasefire calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2000 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 are dead.
Last week, wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since May.
This was the ceasefire’s fifth swap of hostages for prisoners, with 21 hostages — including five Thais who were not counted in the 33 — and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners now freed.
More than 70 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says 34 are believed to be dead.
Who was released on Saturday?
Sharabi and Ben Ami were both captured from Kibbutz Beeri, one of the hardest-hit farming communities, while Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival.
Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed in the attack. His brother Yossi was also abducted and died in captivity. Levy’s wife was killed during the attack and his now three-year-old son has been cared for by relatives.
It is unclear whether either man was aware of what had happened to their families.
Ben Ami, a father of three, was kidnapped with his wife, Raz, who was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023 that saw more than 100 hostages released.
Relatives of the hostages cheered, clapped and cried as they watched live footage of the release.
Levy’s brother, Michael, said his brother’s young son, Almog, was already told his father was on his way.
“Mogi, we found daddy,” Michael Levy said he told the boy, using his nickname, in an interview with Israeli Channel 12. “We haven’t seen happiness like that in him for a long time.”
The Palestinian prisoners released by Israel include 18 serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis, 54 serving long-term sentences and 111 Palestinians from Gaza detained after the October 7 attack but not tried for any crime. All are men and are aged between 20 and 61.
Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.
Ceasefire’s next phase is uncertain
It is unclear whether Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating the ceasefire’s second phase, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached.
Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the ceasefire.
A key far-right partner in Netanyahu’s coalition is calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase.
Hamas says it won’t release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In the October 7 attack, some 1200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.
The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas for operating in residential neighborhoods.
Senior militants among Palestinian prisoners released
Seven of the released prisoners were transferred to Egypt ahead of further deportation.
Others were transferred to Palestinian custody near Ramallah in the West Bank, where scores of relatives, friends and supporters welcomed them cheering and clapping. One frail-looking prisoner was carried off the bus and taken to an ambulance.
Some had been detained over offenses ranging from bomb attacks to involvement in militant organisations, in some cases dating back decades.
They include Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, who has been 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 notorious 2004 suicide bus bombing in Israel’s southern city of Beersheba that killed 16 people, including a 4-year-old.
Another is Jamal al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician in the occupied West Bank and former mayor of al-Bireh village abutting Ramallah.
He has spent nearly two decades in and out of Israeli jail, with the military reporting his last arrest in 2021 over his alleged participation in violent riots and efforts to entrench Hamas’ leadership in the West Bank.
He was then transferred to administrative detention, a repeatedly renewable six-month period in which suspects are held without charge or trial.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.
