Palestinian militants freed six Israeli hostages on Saturday, with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released in exchange under a fragile Gaza truce that is nearing the end of its first phase.
The release of the last group of living hostages under the truce’s first phase caps an emotional two days in Israel, where the remains of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, have been identified after the initial handover of a different body. Hamas‘ rapid effort to find and return the body of Bibas was a sign that it did not want to bear responsibility for endangering the agreement before the next transfer, planned for Saturday. Bibas and her two young sons were among dozens taken captive during the Oct 7 raids.
At a ceremony in Nuseirat, central Gaza, masked Hamas militants brought onto a stage Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Israeli-Argentine Omer Wenkert, 23. They waved while holding release certificates before their handover to the Red Cross and return to Israeli soil.
In Rafah, militants handed over Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, who both appeared dazed. Shoham was made to address the gathering. A sixth hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, 37, was released later. Sayed, a Bedouin Muslim, and Mengistu, an Ethiopian Jew, had been held in Gaza for about a decade after they entered the territory individually.
