In a highly criticized move, five captives were handed over in staged ceremonies, condemned by the Red Cross and Israel. The captives were displayed by masked, armed Hamas fighters in front of hundreds of Palestinians before being transferred to Red Cross vehicles.
In the central town of Nuseirat, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, and Eliya Cohen were posed alongside Hamas fighters on stage. A beaming Shem Tov even kissed two militants next to him on the head and blew kisses to the crowd. Such public displays have drawn heavy criticism, with Israel, the U.N., and the Red Cross stating they are cruel and disrespectful to the dignity of the hostages.
Watching the release, Cohen’s family and friends in Israel chanted “Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!” and cheered when they saw him for the first time. Shem Tov’s grandmother ululated in joy, shrieking, “Omer, my joy! My life!” as she saw him.
The Israeli military stated that the final hostage, Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released later on Saturday. The Bedouin Israeli had crossed into Gaza in 2015 and was held since. His family has reported to Israeli media that Al-Sayed was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The latest releases, which will be followed by the freeing of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, proceeded after tensions mounted over a grisly and heart-wrenching dispute. This was triggered when Hamas initially handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother of two young boys abducted by the militants.
The remains that Hamas transferred with her sons’ bodies on Thursday were later identified as those of an unidentified Palestinian woman. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge for “a cruel and malicious violation,” while Hamas suggested it was a mistake.
On Friday night, the small militant group believed to have been holding Bibas and her sons, the Palestinian Mujahedeen Brigades, handed over a second body. Bibas’ family confirmed through Israeli forensic authorities that the remains were hers, stating, “For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it’s here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure.”
The ceasefire deal has paused the war but is nearing the end of its first phase. Negotiations over a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, are likely to be even more difficult.
The six hostages released on Saturday are the last living captives to be freed under the first phase. Cohen, Shem Tov, and Wenkert, all in their 20s, were abducted by Hamas fighters at the Nova music festival. During their release, they were brought out wearing fake army uniforms, despite not being soldiers when kidnapped.
Earlier on Saturday, two other hostages, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Upon their return to Israel, both were taken to medical centers for examination. “This is an unforgettable moment where all emotions are rapidly mixing together. Our Tal is with us,” Shoham’s family said in a statement, urging for a deal to free all captives. “There is a window of opportunity; we must not miss it.”
Shoham, who also holds Austrian citizenship, was visiting his family in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas militants stormed into the community during the October 7, 2023, attacks. Shoham’s wife, two young children, and three other relatives who were abducted with him were freed in a November 2023 exchange.
Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since entering on his own in 2014. Watching the handover on Israeli media, Mengistu’s family and friends broke out into a Hebrew song, “Here is the Light,” as they saw him for the first time in more than a decade. “Do you remember me?” one of his brothers asked as they embraced at the hospital.
Later on Saturday, Israel is set to release 620 imprisoned Palestinians. They include 151 individuals serving life or other sentences, around 100 of whom will be deported to other countries, as reported by the Palestinian prisoners' media office. The release also includes 445 men, 18 children aged between 15 and 17, five individuals aged between 18-19, and one woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza during the current war, according to the media office.
Furthermore, Hamas has announced it will release four more bodies next week, completing the first phase of the ceasefire. If carried out, Hamas would retain about 60 hostages, approximately half of whom are believed to be alive.
Hamas has stated it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, with the full backing of the Trump administration, remains committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governing capacities and returning all hostages, although these goals are widely seen as mutually exclusive.
Israel’s military offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel claims it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
The offensive has devastated vast areas of Gaza, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble. At its peak, the war displaced 90% of Gaza’s population, with many returning to find their homes destroyed and no means of rebuilding.
