Israel, Hamas complete 5th prisoner-for-hostage swap under Gaza ceasefire deal

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH - Israel and Hamas on Saturday completed the fifth prisoner-for-hostage swap under the first phase of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.

Three Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas were transferred on Saturday from central Gaza to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency and crossed the border into Israel, the IDF said in a statement.

The three Israeli hostages, kidnapped in a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, are Ohad Ben Ami, 56, a dual Israeli-German citizen; Eli Sharabi, 52; and Or Levy, 34.

Earlier in the day, Xinhua's on-the-scene correspondent saw three vehicles of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) arrived at the designated handover site in Deir al-Balah city.

The three hostages, appearing visibly frail and exhausted, moved onto a platform to speak first, and were then handed over by Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, to the ICRC, according to the correspondent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that "in collaboration with security bodies, the government will support the released hostages and their families".

As part of the swap, Israel also freed 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails on Saturday as agreed.

Abdullah al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, said the released prisoners, transported by buses of the ICRC, have arrived in Ramallah. TV footage showed the released Palestinians being greeted by a large crowd at a square in the city.

Of the freed prisoners, 42 were from the West Bank, three from Jerusalem, and 27 from the Gaza Strip, all serving life sentences or lengthy terms. Additionally, 111 prisoners were arrested in the Gaza Strip after Hamas' 2023 surprise attack, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs said in a press statement.

Seven of the freed prisoners will be deported outside the Palestinian territories, according to the statement.

Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said that Israeli vehicles stormed Beitunia, a Palestinian city west of Ramallah, immediately after the bus carrying prisoners left Ofer Prison, to prevent any celebratory demonstrations by the families of the released prisoners.

Israeli forces also raided the homes of some prisoners in the West Bank and warned their families against organizing celebrations to mark their release, according to the sources.

Effective on Jan 19, the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with support from the United States, stipulates that Hamas release 33 hostages, while Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

In the previous four prisoner-for-hostage swaps, 18 hostages have been released from Gaza and around 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

According to a report by the Times of Israel last month, Israel demanded that Palestinians convicted of the most serious crimes not be released to the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.