Hamas frees 3 hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners in 4th exchange of ceasefire

Hamas militants freed 3 antheral hostages held for much than a twelvemonth successful the Gaza Strip connected Saturday and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails successful the 4th specified speech of a ceasefire woody that has halted 15 months of aggravated fighting.

Militants handed Yarden Bibas and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon to Red Cross officials successful the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, portion American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, looking airy and thin, was released to the Red Cross aboriginal Saturday greeting successful Gaza City to the north.

All 3 were abducted during the Hamas-led onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Their merchandise brings to 18 the fig of hostages released since the ceasefire began connected Jan. 19.

The releases were speedy and orderly, successful opposition to chaotic scenes that unfolded connected Thursday erstwhile equipped militants appeared to conflict to clasp backmost a assemblage during a hostage release. In some of Saturday's releases, masked and equipped militants stood successful lines arsenic the hostages walked onto a signifier and waved earlier being led disconnected and handed implicit to the Red Cross.

In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, thousands of radical gathered to ticker the releases being transmitted unrecorded connected a ample screen, waving signs and cheering.

Shortly aft Siegel arrived successful Israel, a autobus departed Ofer Military Prison with immoderate 32 prisoners bound for the West Bank. Crowds of well-wishers greeted the bus, cheering and hoisting the released prisoners connected their shoulders successful scenes of jubilation.

The Israeli Prison Authority said each 183 Palestinian prisoners slated for merchandise Saturday had been freed. Most, including 111 arrested aft Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack, were released to Gaza. Just implicit 2 twelve returned to cheering crowds successful the occupied West Bank. Another 7 serving beingness sentences were transferred to Egypt up of their deportation.

The ceasefire is aimed astatine winding down the deadliest and astir destructive warfare ever fought betwixt Israel and Hamas. The woody has held for 2 weeks, allowing for accrued assistance to travel into the tiny coastal territory and for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to instrumentality to the remnants of their homes successful the northbound of the strip.

During the truce's six-week archetypal phase, a full of 33 Israeli hostages are to beryllium freed successful speech for astir 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says it has received accusation from Hamas that 8 of those hostages were either killed successful Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught oregon person died successful captivity.

Also connected Saturday, a radical of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children near Gaza for attraction done the Rafah borderline crossing to Egypt, successful the archetypal opening of the enclave's sole exit since Israel captured it 9 months ago. A European Union civilian ngo was deployed Friday to hole for the reopening.

The reopening of Rafah marked different cardinal measurement successful the archetypal signifier of the ceasefire.

Israel and Hamas are acceptable adjacent week to statesman negotiating a 2nd signifier of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The warfare could resume successful aboriginal March if an statement is not reached.

Israel says it is inactive committed to destroying Hamas, adjacent aft the militant radical reasserted its regularisation implicit Gaza wrong hours of the latest ceasefire. A cardinal far-right spouse successful Netanyahu's conjugation is calling for the warfare to resume aft the ceasefire's archetypal phase.

Hamas says it won't merchandise the remaining hostages without an extremity to the warfare and a afloat Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Siegel, 65, primitively from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on with his wife, Aviva Siegel. She was released during a little 2023 ceasefire and has waged a high-profile run to escaped Keith and different hostages.

There were sighs of alleviation and cheers successful a surviving country wherever members of the kibbutz watched Siegel's release. Many of those successful the country were household friends, who applauded upon seeing Siegel, portion immoderate teared up.

Meanwhile, the merchandise of Bibas, 35, brought renewed attraction to the destiny of his wife, Shiri, and their 2 young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were 4 years aged and 9 months aged erstwhile they were abducted. All 4 were captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Kfir was the youngest of astir 250 radical taken captive connected Oct. 7, and his plight rapidly came to correspond the helplessness and choler the hostage-taking stirred successful Israel, wherever the Bibas household has go a household name.

Hamas has said Shiri and her sons were killed successful an Israeli airstrike, but Israel has not confirmed that. Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's peculiar coordinator for returning the hostages, said Israel has "grave interest for the lives" of Shiri and her sons, and pleaded with negotiators to supply accusation connected their situation.

Kalderon, 54, was besides captured from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

In Kfar Saba, northbound of Tel Aviv, Kalderon's household hugged and cheered arsenic they saw the images of him climbing onto the signifier successful Khan Younis and being transferred to the Red Cross.

"Ofer is coming home!" they said, arms lifted to the sky.

Kalderon's 2 children, Erez and Sahar, were abducted alongside him and released during the November 2023 ceasefire. Family members said they weren't capable to retrieve from their ordeal until their begetter returned.

"We are atrocious it took truthful long, Ofer," said Eyal Kalderon. "We volition soon beryllium a full household again. We anticipation different families volition soon consciousness similar this, until the past family."

French President Emmanuel Macron said France "shares successful the alleviation and joy" of Kalderon's instrumentality aft 483 days of "unimaginable hell," adding that France would proceed doing each it tin to unafraid the merchandise of different French Israeli hostage inactive being held successful Gaza.

More than 100 of the hostages abducted connected Oct. 7 were released during the weeklong Nov. 2023 ceasefire. About 80 much stay successful Gaza, astatine slightest a 3rd of them believed dead.

In the Oct. 7 onslaught that started the war, immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. More than 47,000 Palestinians person been killed successful Israel's retaliatory aerial and crushed war, implicit fractional of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not accidental however galore of the dormant were militants.

The Israeli subject says it killed implicit 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths connected Hamas due to the fact that its fighters run successful residential neighborhoods.