Hamas releases three Israeli hostages
Pravda Ukraine
Hamas has handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza, marking the first release of hostages since the ceasefire took effect.
Source: CNN
Details: The hostages, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, were released on Sunday, 19 January. They had been held in Gaza since their abduction from Israel on 7 October 2023.
A large crowd gathered in Gaza for the hostage exchange, which included scores of masked militants from Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades.
Later, Israeli military officials confirmed that Hamas had transferred the three hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.
The hostages are en route to Israeli forces in Gaza, the military stated.
An Israeli official informed CNN that the Red Cross had reported the three freed hostages were in good condition.
“The condition of the three hostages is satisfactory following an initial medical examination,” the official said.
Update: The Israeli military later announced that the Red Cross had transferred the three freed hostages to Israeli forces in Gaza. They are now being transported to Israel.
Background:
- On 16 January in Doha, Qatar, a formal agreement was signed between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages held in Gaza and the initiation of a ceasefire.
- On 17 January, the Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that negotiation teams from Israel and Hamas had finalised the agreement.
- Later, Israel announced the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas provided a list of three hostages to be released on Sunday, 19 January.
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