Three Israeli hostages were returned to Israel on Saturday as part of the fifth prisoner exchange agreed under the fragile ceasefire with Hamas. The handover came amid ongoing negotiations for a permanent peace deal but also sparked controversy following comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting the U.S. should take control of the Gaza Strip. The condition of the released hostages raised concerns, while 183 Palestinian prisoners were freed by Israel.
FIFTH EXCHANGE. Demonstrators raise placards and chant slogans during a protest calling for the release of hostages held captive in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2024 attack by Palestinian militants, in front of the Israel i Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv during the weekend. Hamas militants handed over three Israel i hostages on Feb. 8, as part of the fifth exchange under a fragile Gaza ceasefire, with 183 prisoners held by Israel released later in the day.
The fifth exchange since the truce took effect last month came as negotiations were set to begin on the next phase of the ceasefire, which is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war. The three Israeli hostages, who were all seized by militants during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, “crossed the border into Israeli territory” on Saturday, the Israeli military said.
The choreographed handover included forced statements from the three on stage, in which they stated support for finalising the next phases of the Israel-Hamas truce. In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, relatives and supporters gathered to welcome inmates released by Israel, embracing them and cheering as they stepped off the bus that brought them from nearby Ofer prison.
ISRAEL HAMAS CEASEFIRE HOSTAGES PRISONERS GAZA STRIP
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