Hamas released six Israeli hostages

Among them are two people who were held in the sector for more than ten years

Hamas through the Red Cross handed over six hostages to Israel. Four of them were captured on October 7, 2023, and two more than ten years ago. The next Thursday, the militants must transfer four bodies to Israel, after which the first stage of the transaction on the ceasefire and the exchange of hostages to Palestinian prisoners will end.

Two hostages were released the first Rafach in the city, three in Nuseyrat, another in the city of Gaza. All released will be delivered to the Israeli hospital.

As in the previous times, the militants brought the released onto the stage, gave them “diplomas” and forced them to speak into the microphone.

About the liberated hostages:

Elia Cohen (27 years old)

He worked in marketing. On October 7, 2023 he was at the Nova music festival with his bride Ziv Abubud, her nephew Amit and his girlfriend Karin. When they fled to the shelter, fleeing the terrorists, Amita and Karin killed. Ziv survived, hiding under their bodies, and Eli was captured. Recently liberated hostages of Or Levy and Eli Sharabi said that terrorists kept them with Eliya Cohen and Alon Okhel in captivity. They saw Cohen alive on February 4.

Tal Shoham (40 years old)

The volunteer in the ambulance and the developer of software for economic forecasting. On October 7, 2023, the man was kidnapped with Adi's wife, their children (8 years old) and Yael (3 years old), mother-in-law Shoshan Kharan, Aunt Adi Sharon Avigdori and her daughter Noah (12). Women and children from the family were released after 50 days of captivity during the transaction. Three more family members were killed.

Omer Shem Tov (22 years old)

A resident of Herzlia (Israeli Center), planned to become an actor. On October 7, the terrorists stole him from the Nova music festival along with Itai and Maya Reghev, who have since been released.

Omer Wenkert (23 years old)

Hader's resident and restaurant manager. On October 7, he was at the Nova festival, where he was captured by terrorists.

Hisham al-Said (36 years old)

Israeli Bedouin from the city of Khura, which suffers from mental health problems. In early April 2015, he independently crossed the border with gas and Hamas was stolen. In June 2022, militants published a video in which a man lies in bed with an oxygen mask, conscious. The source of Al Jazeera from the Khamas fighting wing said that al-Sayed was released separately in the city of Gaza without holding the ceremony from “respect” because he is a “Palestinian”.

Aver Mengista (39 years old)

A native of Ethiopia, moved to Israel at the age of five. In September 2014, a man with a mental disorder arbitrarily crossed the border of the Gaza sector. For nine years, his family suffers did not have any information about his condition. In January 2023, Hamas published a video with a man. Mengist, unlike other hostages, was not forced to speak into the microphone during the release.

For six civilian hostages, Israel will release 602 Palestinian hostages from prisons. Of these, 60 people are serving long time, 50 people are serving life imprisonment and 47 people were repeatedly arrested after liberation in 2011 in exchange for the captured soldier of the defense army of Israel Gida Shalit.

More than 100 people are deported after liberation. In total, about 1900 prisoners will release Israel for the first stage of the transaction.

Transfer of tel

On Thursday, February 20, Hamas first handed over to Israel the bodies of dead hostages. After the identification process, the Israeli Defense Army confirmed that the 83-year-old Odda Lifshitz, a journalist who advocated the rights of the Palestinians and helped to transport sick residents of the Gaza sector to Israeli hospitals, killed in November 2023. He was held by the Islamic Jihad. The army also stated that, according to medical examination, the young children of Kfir and Ariel Bibas were “brutally killed” no later than November 2023. Hamas then claimed that they died as a result of an Israeli airstrike.

The army representative Daniel Hagari specified that the evidence indicates the opposite: “The terrorists did not shoot at two boys - they killed them with their bare hands. After that, they performed terrible actions to hide these atrocities. ”

The IDF noted that he shared the results of forensic experts and explored, confirming it with “partners around the world” so that they can check them, and so that the whole world knew exactly how the Hamas terrorist organization acts. ”

The deal was threatened with a breakdown, since in the fourth coffin, where, as expected, there should have been the body of the mother of the killed children of the width of Bibas, the corpse of an unknown woman turned out to be. Basham, a member of the Politburo Hamas, said that an “annoying mistake” could have occurred, and that the remains of Israeli hostages could “mix” with the bodies of the Palestinians as a result of Israeli alloadars. According to Naim, it is not in the interests of Hamas to leave the bodies and not fulfill the terms of the signed agreement.

By the evening of February 21, Hamas handed over another coffin to the red cross. The Bibas family confirmed that in it the remains are wide, killed in captivity.

The husband is wide and the father of the children of Yarden Bibas was released as part of the transaction after more than 480 days in the gas sector. Throughout this time, he did not know about the fate of his relatives.

Since the first stage of the transaction on January 19, Hamas released 19 Israeli civilians and girls-military personnel, as well as five citizens of Thailand. Next Thursday, militants will return the bodies of four more hostages.

59 hostages will remain in the gas sector after the completion of the first stage of the transaction. Presumably, 24 of them are alive.

According to the transaction, Israel releases 30 Palestinian prisoners for each civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian prisoners (including serving life imprisonment) for every Israeli Soldate woman, liberated Hamas.

The second stage of the transaction

The parties were supposed to proceed to discuss the second stage of the transaction two weeks ago (February 3), but never began negotiations. It is assumed that the second stage will include the liberation of all the remaining hostages, including the Israeli muzhin soldiers, a constant ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza sector. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel will insist on negotiations that Hamas will disarm it and not attend the gas sector, and the administration of the Palestinian autonomy is removed from the post-war control of the enclave. Netanyahu requires demilitarization of the sector, reports the 12th TV channel of Israel.

After a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on February 19, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that negotiations in the second stage will begin this week. He also warned that Israel “would not reconcile with the further presence of Hamas or any other terrorist organization in gas”, but noted that the country would continue to extend the ceasefire if negotiations were constructive.

“Analysts appreciated that the only way to achieve the liberation of all the hostages would be Israel’s consent to end the war with a terrorist group operating in Gaza, a script that Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected,” writes The Times of Israel.

The Israeli official told the publication that the negotiating group is still awaiting approval for a trip to Qatar for negotiations.

Hamas said on Thursday what was expecting a complete ceasefire from Israel in the gas sector, and accused the side of non -fulfilling his obligations, especially in terms of humanitarian conditions.

When the delegation of Israel really goes to the doh for negotiations, it will be headed by the Minister of Strategic Planning and the associate of Netanyahu Ron Dermer. Previously, the host of the hostage transaction was led by the head of the Sabok -Sabok and Mosada Service.

An important role in discussing the transaction with the parties is occupied by the US special representative Steve Witkoff. He informed Fox News that on Sunday he had “very productive and constructive” negotiations with Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdel Rachman al-Tani and the head of Egyptian intelligence.

On February 9, as part of the agreement, Israel allocated troops from the corridor of Netsarim, sharing the northern and southern part of the gas sector. After the start of the ceasefire last month, Israel allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to cross Necamarim and return north.

In early February, US President Donald Trump proposed moving the Palestinians to other Arab countries, explaining that they live in the Gas sector, as in hell.