Islamist Hamas releases hostages in prisoner swap with Israel

Islamist Hamas releases three hostages in prisoner swap with Israel — Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, were released by Hamas Islamist militants as part of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025. Photo: Screengrab/Reuters video

GAZA,— Islamist Hamas militants on Saturday released three Israeli hostages, whose frail condition stunned the public, as Israel freed dozens of Arab prisoners in the latest stage of a truce deal intended to conclude the 15-month conflict in Gaza.

The hostages, identified as Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas deadly attack on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted from the Nova music festival that same day, were handed over in a staged event organized by Hamas jihadi gunmen.

The three men appeared visibly weak, malnourished, and in worse condition than the 18 hostages released in previous exchanges under the truce negotiated last month.

“He was skin and bones—it was heartbreaking to see,” said Michal Cohen, mother-in-law of Ben Ami, in an interview with Channel 13 News. The release ceremony, directed by Hamas, involved the hostages answering questions from a masked man as militants armed with automatic rifles stood beside them.

As part of the exchange, Israel released 183 Arab prisoners, mostly ‘criminals’, including individuals convicted of carrying out deadly attacks, and 111 others detained in Gaza during the ongoing conflict.

A bus carrying 42 released Arab settler prisoners arrived in Ramallah, where a crowd gathered to celebrate. Many chanted Islamic religious slogans.

Among those freed was Eyad Abu Shkaidem, who had been serving 18 life sentences in Israel for orchestrating suicide bombings in response to Israel’s 2004 assassinations of Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi.

For the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for over a year, the wait for their loved ones has been an agonizing mix of fear and hope. The Hostage Families Forum compared images of the released captives to survivors of Nazi concentration camps.

“These images bring back memories of the liberation of the camps in 1945, the darkest chapter in our history,” the group said in a statement. “We must bring all the hostages home.”

For some, returning home means facing immense personal loss. Sharabi’s wife, a British national, and their two teenage daughters were killed in the October 7 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, where roughly 10% of the population was massacred.

This latest prisoner swap follows previous exchanges that have seen 13 Israeli and five Thai hostages freed in return for the release of 583 Arab prisoners and detainees. The ceasefire, brokered with U.S. backing and mediated by Egypt and Qatar, has largely held for nearly three weeks, despite occasional disputes.

Illustration showing Gaza under Hamas control compared to a vision of it transformed into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ following a hypothetical U.S. takeover and the removal of Islamist Arab settlers. Israel. Photo: iKurd.net/ai

However, concerns have risen over the deal’s fragility following remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who proposed relocating Gaza’s Arab population and turning the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Hamas dismissed Trump’s comments, describing the armed displays during the hostage release as a rejection of such plans.

Arab nations and Arab settler groups in Gaza and West Bank have widely condemned the proposal, calling it an attempt at forced displacement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, welcomed Trump’s intervention, and Israel’s defense minister ordered the military to prepare contingency plans for Arabs who might choose to leave Gaza.

Under the current ceasefire agreement, a total of 33 Israeli children, women, and vulnerable men are set to be released in the initial phase in exchange for nearly 2,000 Arab prisoners and detainees.

Negotiations on a second phase have begun, focusing on securing the release of remaining hostages and discussing a possible full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants carried out an attack on Israel similar to tactics used by the Islamic State, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians and children, and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel launched a military operation in Gaza, which local authorities say has killed over 15,000 Hamas fighters and caused widespread destruction in the area.

(With files from Reuters | Agencies)