Al Jazeera
Israel-Palestine Ceasefire Deal: Palestinians Released From Israeli Prisons Includes 30 Children
Israel says eight captives, including five foreigners, released from Gaza
Israel begins releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, under Gaza ceasefire deal.
Gaza
A female Israeli captive held in Gaza is handed over to Red Cross teams [Moiz Salhi/Anadolu Agency]
Updated:
Hamas has released three Israeli and five Thai captives in Gaza and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process after crowds swarmed one of the captive handover points.
Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was the first to be released on Thursday as she emerged from under rubble at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, which has repeatedly been targeted by Israeli forces since October 2023.
Arbel Yehud, a civilian abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, looked fearful and struggled to walk through the crowd as armed fighters handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Israeli captive Gadi Moshe Mozes and five Thai captives – Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakhan, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao and Surasak Rumnao, who had been working on farms near Gaza during the Hamas-led attack – were also released.
Reporting from Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said people had gathered at the location in Khan Younis where Yehud was handed over.
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“Dozens of fighters [from both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad] are lined up in the area, as they prepared for the arrival of the Israeli captives along with the Red Cross.
They are trying to control the situation on the ground and organise the exchange. Hamas fighters are on the rooftop of the house. Other onlookers are on the rooftops of nearby buildings,” he added
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s former national security minister who resigned over the ceasefire deal, said the scene of the captives’ handover in Khan Younis showed that Israel did not achieve “a complete victory” in Gaza.
“We are happy and excited about the return of our beloved Agam, Arbel and Gadi, but the horrific images from Gaza make it clear: This is not a complete victory – this is a complete failure, in a reckless deal like no other,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement on Telegram
