- Israel and Hamas completed their fifth hostage-prisoner swap under a fragile Gazaceasefire deal on Saturday, with the frail, disoriented appearance of the three freed Israelis causing dismay among their relatives, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
- Out of the 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released by Israel in return, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said seven required hospitalisation, decrying “brutality” and mistreatment in jail.
- Hamas in a statement accused Israel of “systematic assaults and mistreatment of our prisoners”, calling it “part of the policy of … the slow killing of prisoners”.
- The fifth exchange since the truce took effect last month comes as negotiations are set to begin on the next phase of the ceasefire, which should pave the way for a permanent end to the war.
- Saturday’s swap also follows remarks by USpresident Donald Trump suggesting the US should take over the Gaza Strip and clear out its inhabitants, sparking global outrage.
- Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were all seized by militants during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, “crossed the border into Israeli territory” on Saturday, the Israeli military said. With their return, 73 out of 251 hostages taken during the attack now remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
- Jubilant crowds in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv cheered as they watched live footage of the three hostages, flanked by masked gunmen, brought on stage in Deir al-Balah before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). But the joy at their release was quickly overtaken by concern for their condition, with all three appearing thin and pale.
- Sharabi’s cousin Yochi Sardinayof said “he doesn’t look well”. “I’m sure he will now receive the right treatment and he will get stronger … He has an amazing family, and we will all be there for him.”
- The choreographed handover included forced statements from the three on stage, in which they stated support for finalising the next phases of the Israel-Hamas truce. The “disturbing images” from Gaza show that “we must get them all out”, said the Hostages and Missing Families Forumcampaign group.
- The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose dejected-looking portrait appeared on a banner at the Deir al-Balah handover site, said the images out of Gaza were “shocking”.
- Israel’s president Isaac Herzog denounced the treatment of the hostages, who were paraded on stage “after 491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained” and “exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle”.
- The ICRC, which is facilitating ongoing hostage-prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire deal, called on Saturday for future swaps to be held in “private”.
- “The ICRC is increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations. We strongly urge all parties, including the mediators, to take responsibility to ensure that future releases are dignified and private,” the ICRC said in a statement after it completed the fifth exchange.
