Hamas releases three Israeli captives in exchange for 183 Palestinians

The Palestinian group Hamas has released three Israeli captives in two separate handovers in exchange for the release of 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, in the latest stage of a gradual exchange under a ceasefire deal reached after 15 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

French-Israeli dual national Ofer Kalderon and Israeli citizen Yarden Bibas were handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Al Jazeera TV showed on Saturday.

Hundreds of Hamas fighters were seen lining up and managing the crowd in both Khan Younis and Gaza City, as Kalderon, Bibas and Siegel waved to the crowd of Palestinians at the handover.

Kalderon and Bibas have reached Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical check-up before meeting their families. The fate of Bibas’ wife and two young children, who were also taken captive by Hamas, is still unknown.

As of 0900 GMT, Siegel was being escorted by the Red Cross back to Israel.

“The scene is quite incredible, without stampeding observed before. Usually, such handovers are made under very tense circumstances,” he said.

Luciano Zaccara, a professor at Qatar University and an expert on Middle East politics, said the latest release of captives proved that Hamas is still “able to organise and manage the situation in Gaza” despite the months-long Israeli bombardment.

Palestinians released

As part of the ceasefire deal entered on January 19, Israel on Saturday is set to free 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth such exchange. A total of 73 have been serving long-time prison terms and lifetime sentences.

The first bus carrying some Palestinians from Ofer prison reached Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where they were greeted by jubilant relatives. Among those released was an unnamed elderly Palestinian, who was transported in a wheelchair.

Of the total number of Palestinians due to be released on Saturday, 111 were taken by Israeli forces in Gaza after October 7, 2023. They will be released separately in Gaza and seven of them will be deported elsewhere through Egypt.

There are an estimated 4,500 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons – 310 of them held under the so-called “administrative detention” without the right to a trial.