Hamas-led militants released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages and Israel freed nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners Saturday in the latest exchange of a ceasefire agreement that has paused 16 months of war in Gaza.
The hostages’ condition and scenes of Hamas forcing them to speak in a handover ceremony sparked outrage in Israel and could increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire beyond its current six-week phase.
Netanyahu has signaled he would resume the war, even if that meant leaving dozens of hostages in Hamas captivity.
Before a crowd of hundreds, armed militants led Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34, onto a stage to make statements before handing them over to the Red Cross. The three civilian men were among about 250 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.
The joy of some Israelis watching their release turned to shock and tears when they saw their emaciated state. The men appeared in poorer condition than the 18 hostages previously set free.
Later Saturday, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners, some also appearing gaunt and weak. The Red Crescent said seven were taken to hospitals.
It was the fifth exchange since the ceasefire began Jan. 19.
The Red Cross said it was “increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations” and urged all parties to ensure releases are dignified and private.
Many Palestinians released during the ceasefire have appeared emaciated and pale, and have alleged abuses in Israeli custody.
The hostages’ condition and statements under duress — a departure from previous releases — sparked outrage in Israel. An Israeli Health Ministry representative, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, noted “severe malnutrition” and a “significant decrease” in body weight.
“We will not remain silent about this. A message has been passed on to the mediators, and action will be taken accordingly,” said Gal Hirsch, Netanyahu’s coordinator for hostages.
Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had made efforts to preserve the hostages’ lives “despite the (Israeli) bombardment.”
The ceasefire’s current phase does not appear to be affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by Palestinians and most of the international community.
But it could complicate talks over the second and more difficult phase, when Hamas is to release dozens more hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire. Hamas may be reluctant to free more captives — its main bargaining chip — if it believes the U.S. and Israel are serious about depopulating the territory, which rights groups say would violate international law.
The ceasefire’s first phase calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Israel says Hamas has confirmed eight of the 33 hostages are dead.
Twenty-one hostages — including five Thais not counted in the 33 — and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed. More than 70 hostages remain in Gaza but Israel believes 34 are dead.
Sharabi and Ben Ami were captured from Kibbutz Beeri, one of the farming communities hardest hit by the Hamas attack while Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival.
Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters were killed in the attack. His brother Yossi was abducted and died in captivity. Levy’s wife was killed in the attack.
Ben Ami, a father of three, was kidnapped with his wife, Raz, who was released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023 that saw more than 100 hostages freed.
“It’s over, it’s over,” Levy’s brother Michael said as the two embraced at a military base. Ben Ami’s daughter Ella told Israeli channel 12 that “it took me a moment to realize that this was my father.”
The Palestinian prisoners released include 18 serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis, 54 serving long-term sentences and 111 Palestinians from Gaza detained after the Oct. 7 attack but not tried for any crime. All are men, ages 20 to 61.
Virtually every Palestinian has a friend, relative or acquaintance who has been imprisoned.
Seven of the released prisoners were transferred to Egypt. Others were transferred to Palestinian custody in the West Bank, where cheering supporters welcomed them.
Some had been detained over offenses ranging from bomb attacks to involvement in militant organizations.
They include Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, locked up for nearly 21 years over his involvement in Hamas attacks in crowded civilian areas that killed dozens of Israelis during the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. That included a 2004 suicide bus bombing in Israel’s southern city of Beersheba that killed 16 people.
Another is Jamal al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician in the occupied West Bank. The military reported his last arrest in 2021 over alleged efforts to entrench Hamas’ leadership in the West Bank. He was transferred to administrative detention, a renewable six-month period in which suspects are held without charge or trial.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.
It’s unclear whether Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating the ceasefire’s second phase. The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached.
Israel says it is committed to destroying Hamas, which reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the ceasefire. Hamas says it won’t release remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In the Oct. 7 attack, about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.
The Israeli military says it killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas for operating in residential neighborhoods.
