Three Israeli hostages released by Hamas

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Three Israelis were freed on Saturday after 491 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of hostages redeemed in the ongoing first phase of the ceasefire agreement to 21.

Or Levy, 34, Eli Sharabi, 52, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were handed over by the Red Cross officials to Israel Defense Forces troops at around 11:15 a.m. local time and driven back to Israeli territory some 30 minutes later.

Before their release, Hamas paraded the hostages on a stage in front of a raucous crowd of Palestinians in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah. The three men appeared frail and emaciated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement welcoming home the captives. “The government of Israel embraces the three returnees,” it read, adding, “The shocking images that we have seen today will not go unaddressed.

“The government, together with all of the security officials, will accompany them and their families. The government of Israel is committed to returning all of the hostages and the missing,” it continued.

The PMO statement concluded with a quote from Psalms (31:15): “Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”

“This is what a crime against humanity looks like!” Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote in a post on X.

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“The whole world must look directly at Ohad, Or, and Eli—returning after 491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained—being exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle by vile murderers. We take solace in the fact that they are being returned alive to the arms of their loved ones,” Herzog wrote.

“Completing the hostage deal is a humanitarian, moral, and Jewish duty. It is essential to bring back all our sisters and brothers from the hell of captivity in Gaza—every last one of them!” he added.

After the handover was broadcast live across the globe, the Israeli Health Ministry called on the public to limit its consumption of such images.

“A psychological war is being waged that can cause harm to us,” said Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, chief of the ministry’s mental health division. “We urge the public to minimize exposure to distressing images and videos and to be mindful of what they, their children and their loved ones are seeing.”

Added the Hostage and Missing Families Forum: “The disturbing images from the release of Ohad, Eli and Or serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt—there is no time to waste for the hostages!”

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The IDF brought the freed hostages to a facility near the border for a preliminary physical and psychological examination, and to meet with their families.

Levy was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. His wife, Eynav, was killed; their now three-year-old son Almog has been living with his grandparents since the terrorist assault.

Sharabi and his brother Yossi were abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Palestinian invasion. Sharabi’s wife and daughters were murdered in their home during the attack, while Yossi has since been confirmed dead, his body still being held in Gaza.

Ben Ami was taken from Be’eri along with his wife, Raz, who was freed as part of a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.

In return, Israel was set on Saturday to release 183 Palestinian terrorists: 18 serving life sentences, 54 serving lengthy terms and 111 who were arrested in Gaza during the war.

Last Saturday, Israelis Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel were freed from Gaza. Two days earlier, three Israelis—IDF soldier Agam Berger, 20, along with civilians Arbel Yehud, 29, Gadi Mozes, 80, and five Thai farm workers—Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao and Surasak Lamnao—were redeemed from terrorist captivity.

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The previous week, Jerusalem redeemed four female IDF soldiers—Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; and Liri Albag, 19—who were abducted from the Nahal Oz base during the Hamas-led invasion.

Three civilian women—Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher—were released on Jan. 19, shortly after the ceasefire went into effect.

According to Israeli estimates, there are 76 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 73 abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Of the 251 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, 178 have been returned or rescued, and Hamas is believed to be holding 35 bodies, 34 of them taken during the cross-border invasion and that of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, which was taken by the Palestinian terrorist group in 2014.

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