KEY POINTS
- Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners after Hamas frees eight hostages.
- Israel initially delayed the prisoner release due to large crowds at the Gaza handover point.
- Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages in the first six weeks.
- The next exchange is scheduled for Saturday.
- Israel’s military offensive since 7 October has killed over 47,300 Palestinians.
CAIRO, Egypt: After an initial delay, Israel on Thursday night released 110 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three Israeli and five Thai hostages, who were freed from Gaza hours earlier by Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement.
The prisoner-for-hostage swap marked the third round of exchanges as the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas entered its second week.
The release of Palestinian prisoners was initially delayed due to large crowds gathering at one of the handover points in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier stated that he would not proceed with the release until he received assurances from US and Arab mediators regarding the safe handover of hostages in the future.
Later, Netanyahu confirmed that such a commitment had been secured. A statement from Netanyahu’s office said that, following his demand, ceasefire mediators had “provided a commitment ensuring the safe release of our abductees in the upcoming phases.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz also confirmed that the Israeli government had temporarily delayed the prisoner release to guarantee the secure passage of future hostages.
Later, buses carrying released Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The truce aims to end the Israeli war in Gaza and secure the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
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The ceasefire, which took effect on 19 January, hinges on these exchanges. Last Saturday, Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers, while Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas and its allied groups are expected to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages during the first six-week phase of the agreement. Negotiations for a more complex second phase are expected to begin soon. The fourth exchange is scheduled for Saturday.
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On Wednesday, senior Hamas political official Bassem Naim, as cited by CBS News, said the Palestinian group remained committed to the ceasefire agreement.
“We will do our best to make it work and will try to overcome the obstacles and challenges, but we expect that the Israelis will keep trying to find reasons to stop implementing the deal, partly to cover up their failure in achieving any of their goals in Gaza, or due to the scenes that showed the will of the people in Gaza,” he said.
Since the 7 October 2023 attacks, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The conflict has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced the entire population, and caused a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
