Three Israeli hostages, Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy, were released by Hamas on Saturday, February 8, 2025, as part of a ceasefire agreement. Israel plans to release 183 Palestinian prisoners in return. This marks the fifth hostage exchange since the ceasefire began on January 19, 2025, resulting in the freedom of 18 hostages and over 550 Palestinian prisoners.
Three more Israel i hostages have been released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire deal. The hostages that have been released are: Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34. All were abducted during the Hamas -led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked the war. They were seen being handed over to the Red Cross after being interviewed by Hamas on stage. Later on, 183 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be freed by Israel in return.
Dozens of masked and armed Hamas fighters, some driving white pick-up trucks with guns mounted on them, lined up on Saturday morning at the location of the exchange near the territory's main north-south highway in Central Gaza. A small crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene, with a line of Hamas fighters keeping them at a distance from a temporary stage. A statement from the lawyers of the British hostage families said: 'We and our clients, the Sharabi and Brisley families, are delighted that after 16 months in captivity, Eli Sharabi has today, Saturday, 8 February 2025, been released from being held as a hostage in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organisation. We were saddened but unfortunately not surprised at Eli, Ohad and Or’s physical condition and the grotesque spectacle of their release, which should be a wake-up call, if one were needed, to ensure the speedy return of all of the other hostages. Eli’s British wife, Lianne, and their British children, Noiya and Yahel, were murdered on 7 October 2023, in their home. Eli’s brother Yossi, died in January 2024 in captivity. His body remains held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. They paid tribute to Mr Sharabi's family, saying: 'We hope that they will now begin on a road to some kind of peace, and that the public will grant them the space they need to do so. We urge all of the parties, and the negotiators, to ensure that the Phase 1 deal completes in full, and all of the 33 listed hostages, including our client Oded Lifshitz, for whom the British Government has taken formal responsibility due to his close British connections, are released imminently.' It is the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began on January 19. Eighteen hostages and more than 550 Palestinian prisoners have already been freed in that time. The first phase of the ceasefire calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Last week, wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since May. This story is being update
HAMAS HOSTAGES CEASEFIRE ISRAEL PALESTINE PRISONERS EXCHANGE
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