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Israel and Hamas have officially conducted a major hostage and prisoner exchange, inching both sides closer to the completion of phase 1 of the ceasefire agreement.
Getting into it: The exchanges began earlier this morning, with Hamas releasing the final 20 living Israeli hostages held captive since the October 7, 2023 attacks. The hostages were transferred in two waves to the International Committee of the Red Cross inside Gaza (the first seven from Gaza City in the north, followed by 13 more from Khan Younis in the south). Israeli military personnel received them and transported them to southern Israel, where they were flown by helicopter to hospitals in Tel Aviv for treatment and emotional reunions with family members. Most of the hostages were young men in their 20s and 30s who had been held in harsh conditions, including underground tunnels, often suffering from malnutrition and medical neglect.
Israeli officials confirmed that the hostages were in frail but stable condition and hailed the operation as a milestone. “The commanders and soldiers of the IDF salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” said IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. Among those released were twins Gali and Ziv Berman, combat medic Bar Kupershtein, and Omri Miran, a father abducted in front of his wife and baby daughter.
In exchange for the 20 hostages, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees (some of whom had been imprisoned for decades, including 250 convicted of deadly attacks). A large number of the freed Palestinians were exiled abroad, while others were welcomed by cheering crowds in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamas acknowledged the release in a statement, claiming the exchange demonstrated their leverage and “resistance strength” against Israel. Some released prisoners described years of abuse, torture, and deprivation inside Israeli prisons. One former detainee in Khan Younis, speaking to Al Jazeera, said, “We were tortured, starved, stripped—this is a long overdue moment of justice.”
As part of the agreement, Hamas is also required to release the remains of 28 deceased Israeli hostages. However, only four bodies (identified as Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and Daniel Perez) were slated for release on Monday, prompting backlash from Israeli officials. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum called Hamas’s delay a “blatant breach” of the ceasefire deal, which mandated the return of all bodies within 72 hours of the IDF’s withdrawal. Hamas has claimed difficulty in locating all the remains due to ongoing damage and disarray within Gaza.
