Hamas releases 3 more Israeli captives under Gaza ceasefire deal

ANKARA

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas set free three more Israeli captives in Gaza on Thursday under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Female soldier Agam Berger was handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Al-Razan area in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Two more captives – Arbel Yehud and Gadi Mozes – were also released and handed over to the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Five Thai workers were also released during the handover, which took place outside the ruins of the house of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The Israeli army confirmed that it received the seven captives and they were transferred to Israel.

The military earlier confirmed that Berger was freed and transferred to Israel for a medical checkup.

During Berger’s handover ceremony, Red Cross representatives were taken on stage to sign a protocol for the soldier’s release.

In Khan Younis, thousands of Palestinians gathered at the delivery site of the two Israeli captives, disrupting and delaying the handover.

Palestinian resistance fighters barely managed to take the captives out of their vehicles to hand them over to the Red Cross representative in the city as television footage showed.

Israel has used the case of Yehud to justify delays in allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their areas in northern Gaza from Saturday to Monday morning.

Role of Turkish diplomacy

The five Thai captives were released by Hamas after diplomatic mediation by the Turkish intelligence service upon directives of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, security sources said.

“The Turkish intelligence played a facilitating role and made effective intelligence diplomatic efforts in this regard,” the sources said.

According to the sources, the intelligence service also played an important role in evacuating injured and sick Palestinian civilians as well as Turkish citizens who were in Gaza.

“It also mediated the release of some foreign prisoners in Gaza in response to requests for assistance from foreign countries,” they added.

Some 110 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Thursday in swap for Thursday’s releases.

But Israel, in a sudden move, said that it suspended the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners, just minutes after receiving its three captives and Thai workers.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the postponement of today's scheduled prisoner release until the safe exit of our hostages is ensured in the coming days,” Omer Dostri, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister, said on X.

Dostri did not clarify for how long the suspension would last.

But Hamas-run Prisoners’ Media Office said that the prisoners will be released at 17:00 local time (1500GMT) after following up with mediators.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

Ten Israeli captives have so far been released in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners since the deal came into force.

Under the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released in exchange for an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian detainees.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.