On February 22, the Hamas terrorist group released two more Israeli hostages and plans to release four more later as part of the last phase of the release of 33 prisoners under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
Among the released prisoners are 40-year-old Tal Shoham and 39-year-old Avera Mengistu. In the morning, the prisoners were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. It is also known that Hamas plans to release four more hostages later.
In total, the Palestinian group Hamas plans to release six Israeli citizens.
Four of them - Tal Shoham, 27-year-old Eliyahu Cohen, 22-year-old Omer Shem Tov, and 23-year-old Omer Venkert - were captured by Hamas militants during an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Red Cross hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages killed in Gaza to IDF20.02.25, 11:26
In particular, Shoham was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri, along with his wife and two children, who were released after a ceasefire in November 2023. Three others were taken hostage at the Nova music festival.
Two more - 36-year-old Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu - were held by Hamas for about a decade after they entered Gaza without permission.
In return, Israel must release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including 445 Gazans captured during the war, as well as dozens of convicts serving long or life sentences.
Recall
As UNN previously reported, Israel and Hamas are preparing for a new prisoner exchange: 6 Israeli hostages in exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners. Among those released may be two people who have been held captive for almost a decade.