In the latest stage of a ceasefire deal, Palestinian militants began handing over three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Thursday in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed by Israel.
A female Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, waved at the crowd from a podium in Jabalia, northern Gaza, before being handed over to the Red Cross.
In another exchange site in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, two Israeli civilians, 80-year-old Gadi Moses and 29-year-old Arbel Yahud, both abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, embraced each other in the presence of masked gunmen in black uniforms, as shown in a video released by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.
A spokesman for the group's armed wing stated on Telegram that they had \"completed procedures to hand over two Israeli hostages.\"
An Israeli official told Reuters that the three hostages were expected to be taken to three different hospitals in Israel, though that could change depending on immediate medical assessments upon arrival.
In Tel Aviv, Israelis gathered in what has become known as Hostages Square, a central plaza that has become the focal point for efforts to campaign on behalf of hostages being held in Gaza.
So far, three Israeli civilians and four soldiers—all women—have been released during the ceasefire, which began on January 19. In return, Israel has released 290 Palestinian convicts and detainees.
More than 250 hostages were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel. Approximately half were released the following month during a previous truce, and others have been recovered dead or alive during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and turned the coastal enclave into a landscape of rubble.
Israel still lists 90 captives in Gaza, with around 30 declared dead in absentia.
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Palestinian militants begin handover of three Israeli hostages
cgtn.com
