Amid the ongoing ceasefire, Hamas has released three more Israeli hostages to the Red Cross after spending nearly 500 days in captivity. The hostages, identified as Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levi were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of the truce agreement between Hamas and Israel.
After 491 days, Or, Eli and Ohad are finally home pic.twitter.com/hp5CCFitFe
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 8, 2025
The dramatic release took place in the town of Deir al-Balah, where armed Hamas militants escorted the visibly frail hostages from a white van onto a designated stage. The hostages prolonged ordeal has left them physically weakened. Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami were among those taken hostage during October 7, 2023 attack at the Nova music festival, an assault that sent shockwaves through Israel.
In return for the three released hostages, Israel has agreed to free 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 individuals serving life sentence. This marks the fifth such exchange since the ceasefire took affect on January 19. So far, 18 Israeli hostages and over 550 Palestinian detainees have been freed in previous swaps.
The current phase of the ceasefire deal aims to facilitate the release of 33 Israeli hostages while Israel has agreed to free nearly 2,000 Palestinians to return yo northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated region.
