6 hostages released by Hamas in latest swap

JERUSALEM/GAZA -- Six Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas were released on Saturday as part of an ongoing ceasefire exchange, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement.

Two of the five hostages were transferred earlier on Saturday from a vehicle of al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, to vehicles of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah, southern Gaza, which later carried them to the IDF and the Israel Security Agency, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.

The two are Avera Mengistu, 38, an Ethiopian-born Israeli man from Ashkelon, who crossed into Gaza in 2014 and had been held captive ever since, and Tal Shoham, 40, who was seized during the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, the sources told Xinhua.

Shoham's wife and two children, who were also taken hostage, were released in November 2023 under a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Later in the day, three other Israeli hostages were handed over by Hamas to the Israeli authorities via the ICRC in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, according to Palestinian sources.

The three -- Omer Shem-Tov, 22, Eliya Cohen, 27, and Omer Wenkert, 23 -- were also seized during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

According to eyewitnesses at the handover ceremony, the three hostages appeared to be in good health, wearing military uniforms and carrying their release certificates. In a striking moment, one of them was seen kissing the heads of two masked members of the al-Qassam Brigades standing beside them.

Another Israeli hostage, 37-year-old Hisham al-Sayed, was released in central Gaza without an official ceremony later on Saturday, said a source within the al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli military said al-Sayed has been handed over to Red Cross representatives after being held for almost 10 years and is on his way to Israeli troops in Gaza.

The releases are part of the latest hostage-prisoner swap under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to which Israel will free 602 Palestinian prisoners later in the day. The swap is also the final one where Hamas handed over living hostages under the first phase of the agreement.

The first phase, effective since Jan 19, is set to conclude next week when Hamas is expected to finish the release of 33 Israeli hostages -- 25 living ones and eight dead -- in exchange for over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners.