Militants under Hamas leadership released the first of eight hostages on Thursday, marking another step forward since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip began earlier this month. In response, Israel is set to free an additional 110 Palestinians.
The truce aims to de-escalate the most lethal and ruinous conflict ever waged between Israel and Hamas, which erupted after an Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into Israeli territory by Hamas. Despite a disagreement over the order of hostage releases earlier in the week, the ceasefire has remained intact.
In a public display at the devastated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, Hamas turned over 20 year old Israeli soldier Agam Berger to the Red Cross. The Israeli government later verified that Berger was back with its forces.
Berger was one of five young female soldiers captured during the Oct. 7 assault. The remaining four were freed last Saturday.
In Tel Aviv, a crowd gathered to celebrate Berger’s release, watching the handover on large screens in a square, next to a clock that has been counting the days of the hostages’ captivity. Amidst cheers, applause, and whistles, some attendees held up banners proclaiming: “Agam we’re waiting for you at home.”
Red Cross vehicles were seen arriving at a handover point in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, situated in front of the demolished home of deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Earlier, hundreds of militants from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group had arrived in a convoy as a display of power, attracting thousands of spectators, some watching from the skewed rooftops of bombed-out buildings.
The other two Israelis due to be released on Thursday are Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moses, an 80 year old man. Five Thai nationals are also anticipated to be freed, although their identities have not been officially confirmed.
Several foreign workers were captured alongside numerous Israeli civilians and soldiers during a Hamas attack. Twenty-three Thais were among over 100 hostages released during a ceasefire that lasted a week in November 2023.
Israel reports that eight Thais remain captive, with two believed to be deceased. Of those set to be released from Israeli prisons, 30 are serving life sentences after being found guilty of lethal attacks against Israelis.
Zakaria Zubeidi, a notable former militant leader and theatre director who participated in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being recaptured days later, is also set to be released. Israel stated that Yehoud was meant to have been released on Saturday and delayed the opening of crossings to northern Gaza when she was not.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar, who mediated the ceasefire after a year of intense negotiations, have resolved the dispute with an agreement that Yehoud will be released on Thursday. Another three hostages, all men, are scheduled to be freed on Saturday along with dozens more Palestinians.
On Monday, Israel started allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, the most heavily damaged part of the territory, and hundreds of thousands flocked back, only to find their homes reduced to rubble. In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, elderly and injured men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians.
Israel claims that Hamas has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are deceased. The release of the hostages has been met with cheers from Palestinians, who view them as heroes who have made sacrifices for the cause of ending Israel’s decades-long occupation of lands they desire for a future state.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have retreated from most of Gaza, enabling hundreds of thousands of people to return to what’s left of their homes and humanitarian groups to provide aid. The deal stipulates that Israel and Hamas negotiate a second phase in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely.
If an agreement is not reached, the war could recommence in early March.
Israel maintains its commitment to dismantling Hamas, even as the militant group re-established its control over Gaza within hours of the ceasefire. A key far-right ally in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is already advocating for the resumption of war following the first phase of the ceasefire.
Hamas insists it won’t release the remaining hostages unless the war ends and Israel fully withdraws from Gaza. The conflict began when Hamas sent thousands of fighters into Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of around 250 individuals.
Israel’s subsequent air and ground war has been among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, though it does not specify how many of the deceased were militants.
The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and asserts that it made significant efforts to avoid civilian casualties. It attributes civilian deaths to Hamas due to its operations in densely populated residential areas and the placement of military infrastructure near homes, schools, and mosques.
The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighbourhoods into heaps of grey rubble, and it remains uncertain how or when reconstruction will occur. Approximately 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people residing in squalid tent camps or closed schools.
