Israel Delays Prisoner Release as Hamas Hands Over Eight Hostages

Doha – Hamas released eight captives on Thursday, including three Israelis and five Thai nationals, while Israel delayed its promised release of 110 Palestinian prisoners, citing concerns over the handover process.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas proceeded with the scheduled handover despite Israel’s heavy bombardment of Gaza which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.

The released Israeli captives included Agam Berger, 20, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80. The five Thai nationals, who were working on Israeli farms when they were captured, have not been officially identified.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a delay in releasing the Palestinian prisoners, who include 30 minors and some serving life sentences, “until the safe exit of our hostages is guaranteed in the next few days,” according to his office.

The Palestinian prisoners set for release include Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former resistance leader and theater director. Many Palestinians view these prisoners as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel’s decades-long occupation of lands intended for a future Palestinian state.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Ataya said fighters from various Palestinian resistance groups, including the Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Qassam Brigades, participated in the handover operations in Gaza’s Khan Younis and Jabalia areas.

Under the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas is to release 33 Israeli captives over several weeks in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The deal has also allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their neighborhoods, where many have found their homes reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment.

The Israeli Occupation Forces’s (IOF) war on Gaza has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in decades. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than half of the 47,000 Palestinians killed were women and children.

The ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, calls for negotiations on a second phase aimed at securing the release of remaining captives and potentially extending the truce indefinitely.

Palestinian officials reported that some families of prisoners scheduled for release had been warned by IOF against celebrating their loved ones’ return.