Hamas freed two hostages on Saturday in alternate for greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners as a part of the delicate ceasefire settlement with Israel.
The lads have been recognized as Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39. Video footage confirmed the 2 males trying frail and scared as they have been taken to a stage in entrance of a crowd whereas flanked by masked gunmen. They have been handed over to the Crimson Cross and have been on their method to IDF forces.
An extra 4 hostages – Omer Wenkert, 23; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Hisham Al-Sayed, 36; and Eliya Cohen, 27 – have been anticipated to even be launched later Saturday.
Two of the hostages — Mengistu and Al-Sayed — are civilians who’ve been held since getting into Gaza on their very own greater than a decade in the past, lengthy earlier than the battle sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault in opposition to Israel, which prompted navy retaliation from Israeli forces.
This comes as the fragile ceasefire deal reached a month in the past stays in place regardless of current revelations that hostage Shiri Bibas’ physique was not initially returned to Israel as promised by Hamas.
A boy holds a weapon as he stands subsequent to a Hamas fighter standing in place forward of handing over 4 our bodies to the Crimson Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Hamas would “pay the full price” for allegedly handing over the physique of a Palestinian girl from Gaza as a substitute of the physique of the Israeli hostage. The hostage’s sons — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — together with Oded Lifshitz have been returned by Hamas on Thursday as anticipated.
Late Friday, Hamas stated it handed over Shiri Bibas’ physique to the Crimson Cross, which confirmed it had obtained human stays inside Gaza and transferred them to Israeli authorities. Bibas’ household confirmed her identification early Saturday.
TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS
Crimson Cross automobiles arrive to gather coffins containing 4 our bodies that have been handed over by Hamas militants in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
Hamas stated it “has no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession.” The fear group stated the useless hostages handed over on Thursday had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 and that the our bodies might have been misidentified as a result of bombardments within the space.
A poster exhibits Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped to Gaza together with her husband and two younger sons on Oct. 7, 2023, in Jerusalem, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP)
The fear group additionally killed Ariel and Kfir Bibas “with their bare hands,” based on the Israeli navy, which didn’t provide proof to assist the declare.
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Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari alleged that forensic evaluation of the Bibas boys’ our bodies confirmed that Hamas “did not shoot the boys,” however “killed them with their bare hands” after which “committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.” Hagari stated Lifshitz was killed by captors inside Gaza.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
