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Israel-Gaza Ceasefire: The first two- Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu- were released in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Israel-Gaza Ceasefire: Six hostages that are being released by Hamas are seen.Â
Hamas is releasing six Israeli hostages in Gaza – the final living captives agreed to be released as per the ceasefire which began last month. The first two- Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu- were released in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces said that the pair crossed into Israel after being handed over to the Israeli military by the Red Cross.
The six hostages that are being released today are the last living hostages whom Israel and Hamas agreed to exchange when talks in Qatar last month culminated in a ceasefire agreement.
The Times of Israel reported that three hostages will be handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat soon. These are: Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert.
Another hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, will be will be handed over to the Red Cross at a third site, in Gaza City, the report added.
Meanwhile, Hamas said that it expects Israel to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange. Of those, 50 had been sentenced to life imprisonment and another 60 are serving long sentences, while 445 were detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
How many Israeli hostages does Hamas still have?
After Saturday’s releases, Hamas and its allies will continue to hold 63 Israeli hostages in Gaza. At least 32 of those are believed to be dead, as per the Israeli government.
Will the Israel-Gaza ceasefire continue?
Hamas signaled it is prepared to hand over all remaining Israeli hostages in one group in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza under the next phase of the ceasefire.
