6 hostages released in exchange for 620 Palestinians set to be released

New Delhi, Feb 2: Six Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released in Nuseirat and Rafah in three phases. The exchange is part of a broader ceasefire deal under which 620 Palestinian prisoners will be released shortly as the Red Cross vehicles are waiting outside the Ofer jail. This is the largest number of Palestinian detainees to be released, and hence, a little slow, there has been a delay in the release of prisoners.

The final handover has been of Hisham al-Sayed, who is from the Arab Israeli Bedouin community in Israel. He’s been held in captivity by Hamas since he crossed over by himself into the Palestinian enclave in 2015. He is the first Muslim Israeli to be freed.

Unlike all the other hostage handovers that Hamas has so far conducted in highly stage-managed events, Hisham al-Sayed was handed over to the ICRC without a public ceremony in Gaza City.

This exchange is part of the first phase of a three-stage agreement that will see 1,900 Palestinian prisoners released in return for 33 Israeli hostages. Since the deal’s implementation on January 19, more than 1,700 Palestinian detainees have been freed. Last week alone, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 serving life sentences and 333 held without charge.

The ceasefire deal follows the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, which significantly increased the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, now estimated at around 10,000.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the return of the hostages, calling it a moment of comfort but stressing the urgent need to secure the release of all remaining captives. He also expressed sorrow over the fate of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, whose family confirmed that Hamas had handed over her body.

The family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas has confirmed that a body handed over by Hamas on Friday belongs to her, according to media reports. This follows a statement from a senior Hamas official to the BBC, confirming the transfer of the remains to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday evening.

Earlier, Israel had accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire deal after forensic testing determined that remains handed over on Thursday were not those of Shiri Bibas.

Thursday’s handover had initially included remains that Hamas claimed belonged to Shiri Bibas, but Israeli authorities later confirmed they belonged to an unidentified woman.

The remains of her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, along with another hostage, Oded Lifschitz, were also returned to Israel on Thursday.

“Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home,” the Bibas family said in a statement. However, Israeli forensic officials are still in the process of confirming the identification, according to the BBC.

Hamas previously claimed that Shiri and her two children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta stated on social media that her remains were mixed with other bodies under the rubble following the attack.

However, Israel has rejected this claim, asserting that the deaths of Ariel and Kfir Bibas were intentional. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press conference that “forensic findings suggested the boys were killed deliberately. He added that Israel has shared evidence with international partners for verification.

Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, were among those kidnapped during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. They were taken hostage along with the children’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, who was released alive on February 1.