Three Israeli hostages are set to be released by Hamas today in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners. This latest exchange is part of a wider ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Three Israel i hostages, Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, are set to be freed today in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, a spokesperson for Hamas ’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement yesterday. The release is part of a wider ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.
The agreement, which has already seen the release of 13 Israeli and five Thai hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, aims to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, it has also been criticized by some for potentially incentivizing future attacks by Hamas. Red Cross vehicles have arrived in Deir Al-Balah, where Hamas are set to release the three male civilian hostages today. The convoy has had to weave its way through the hundreds of civilians who have gathered to watch the release, many of them holding their phones and cameras aloft to capture the moment. Or Levy's brother told Reuters he could not “even start to describe the emotions that the excitement,” he felt about seeing his sibling. “We are waiting to hug him,' said Michael Levy, adding that he was also thrilled that his nephew Almog, 3, would be able to hug his father again. People have started to gather in Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square” ahead of today’s release. Some held Israeli flags and other posters of hostages who remain in captivity. The four hostage and prisoner exchanges so far have seen 18 hostages freed by Hamas, with 583 Palestinian detainees released from Israeli custody, as agreed by phase one of the ceasefire deal. Israel is expected to released a further 183 prisoners today as part of an exchange that will see three male Israel civilians set free by Hamas. Hamas fighters preparing a stage for the release of three male civilian hostages in Deir al-Balah central Gaza. As with previous releases, Hamas have set up Palestinian flags among Hamas flags around a stage upon which other hostages have stood before they are transferred to the Red Cross, with cameras and a sound system in place playing music. Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami—in Deir al-Balah, are set to be released by the militant group this morning. Hamas' prisoners' media office claimed this morning that Israeli forces raided the homes of family of some of the Palestinian prisoners set to be released today.“During the raids, the occupation forces destroyed the contents of the homes,” the Hamas office said in a statement. Abu Obeida said on Telegram that Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, would be released in exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Ben Ami and Sharabi were taken from Kibbutz Be’eri, a community near the Gaza border that was devastated during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel. For the first time in around nine months, children in need of urgent medical care were allowed to evacuate Gaza earlier this week at the enclave's southern Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
HAMAS ISRAEL CEASEFIRE HOSTAGES PRISONERS EXCHANGE GAZA
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