Hamas parades 3 Israeli hostages ahead of release in Gaza

The three male civilians are to be freed Saturday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as part of a ceasefire in Gaza that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip

Deir Al-Balah: Hamas on Saturday paraded three Israeli hostages before a crowd of hundreds in the Gaza Strip ahead of their release.

The three male civilians are to be freed Saturday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as part of a ceasefire in Gaza that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip.

---

The hostages were led up onto a stage and a masked Hamas fighter held a microphone as each was made to give a statement before the crowd. Hostages did not speak during previous releases.

US President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by the Palestinians and most of the international community, does not appear to have affected the current phase of the truce, which runs until early March.

But it could complicate talks over the second and more difficult phase, when Hamas is to release dozens more hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire. Hamas may be reluctant to free more captives — and lose its main bargaining chip — if it believes the US and Israel are serious about depopulating the territory, which rights groups say would violate international law.

The hostages to be released on Saturday, according to Hamas and Israel, are: Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34. All were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked the war.

Dozens of masked and armed Hamas fighters, some driving white pickup trucks with guns mounted on them, lined up Saturday morning at the location of the exchange near the territory’s main north-south highway in Central Gaza. A small crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene, with a line of Hamas fighters keeping them at a distance from a temporary stage.

It will be the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began on January 19. Eighteen hostages and more than 550 Palestinian prisoners have already been freed in that time.