Hamas released three additional hostages on Saturday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal the terror group reached with Israel.
Hamas released three more hostages on Saturday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal reached with Israel.
Or Levy, 34; Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were released by Hamas after they were abducted during the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel that prompted the war in Gaza.
The trio were released from Deir al-Balah in the central part of the Gaza Strip. The hostages arrived at the hand-over point in a Hamas vehicle.
Red Cross vehicles also arrived at the location.
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The hostages, as with others before them, were forcibly paraded onto a stage and made to take part in a ceremony with their captors. Israeli leaders noted that the three men looked thin and exhausted.
“This is what a crime against humanity looks like! The whole world must look directly at Ohad, Or, and Eli—returning after 491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained—being exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle by vile murderers,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote in a post on X.
The Hostages and Missing Families forum wrote that “The disturbing images from the release of Ohad, Eli, and Or serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt – there is no time to waste for the hostages!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear in a statement from his office that the condition of the men did not go unnoticed, saying the “appropriate actions will be taken,” without adding details.
“The horrific scenes we witnessed today will not be ignored,” a statement from the prime minister’s office read. The statement included a vow to rescue the remaining hostages and a reference Psalms 31:16, which says “Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my pursuers.”
This was the fifth time since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19 that Hamas released hostages in exchange for prisoners. Eighteen hostages and more than 550 Palestinian prisoners have been released thus far.
The ceasefire paused the 15-month war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ attack on the Jewish State, leading to military retaliation from Israeli forces.
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
