In the Gaza Strip, three more hostages, including a German-Israeli, were released from the hands of Hamas on Saturday, after being kidnapped on October 7, 2023.
The three men, including a German-Israeli, were first paraded on a stage by masked and armed fighters of the terrorist organization and then handed over to the International Red Cross. In return, Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 18 hostages have been released as part of the latest hostage deal, with Israel releasing around 600 Palestinian inmates from its prisons in exchange.
The ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas envisions, in a first six-week phase, the release of a total of 33 hostages. At least eight of them, according to Israeli accounts, are dead, with the focus now on repatriating the remains of the deceased. In return, a total of nearly 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released from Israeli detention.