Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of the fifth exchange under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire, with Israel set to free 183 Palestinian prisoners later in the day.
The swap comes amid global backlash over a controversial proposal by US President Donald Trump, who suggested relocating Gaza’s population and placing the Palestinian territory under American control.
Hamas has rejected the plan outright.
Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv to watch live footage of the hostage release, which took place in Deir el-Balah.
Masked gunmen escorted the three captives onto a stage, which was decorated with images of destroyed Israeli military vehicles and an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Dozens of armed Hamas fighters surrounded the area, maintaining order as onlookers watched the exchange unfold.
The three hostages were identified as Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami.
Sharabi, 52, was at home in Kibbutz Beeri with his British-born wife and two daughters when Hamas militants stormed their house.
The gunmen shot their dog before locking the family in a safe room and setting the house on fire. His wife and daughters were later found dead.
Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival, where Hamas militants killed his wife. Ben Ami, a dual Israeli-German citizen, turned 56 while in captivity.
Meanwhile, former hostage Yarden Bibas, who was freed last week, made an emotional appeal to Netanyahu, urging him to secure the release of his wife and two children.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, I’m now addressing you with my own words… bring my family back, bring my friends back, bring everyone home,” Bibas said in his first public statement since his release.
Hamas previously claimed that his wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, had been killed. However, Israeli authorities have yet to confirm their deaths.
Netanyahu, currently in Washington, is monitoring the latest hostage release and ceasefire negotiations from the US.
His office stated that an Israeli delegation will head to Doha after the exchange to continue discussions on a potential second phase of the ceasefire.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum has urged the Israeli government to uphold the ceasefire, emphasizing the importance of securing the return of all remaining captives.
“An entire nation demands to see the hostages return home,” the Israeli campaign group said. “Now is the time to ensure the agreement is completed — until the very last one.”
Israel and Hamas have so far conducted four exchanges under the first phase of the ceasefire, with Palestinian militants releasing 18 hostages in exchange for about 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, aims to secure the release of 33 hostages during its initial 42-day period.
Negotiations for the second phase, expected to focus on additional hostage releases and a possible long-term truce, were scheduled to begin on Monday, though details remain unclear.
Since Hamas’s attack on October 7, when 251 hostages were taken to Gaza, 73 remain in captivity, including 34 whom Israel believes to be dead.
Israel’s ongoing military response has resulted in the deaths of at least 47,583 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The United Nations has stated that these figures are considered reliable.
