Hamas releases 6 hostages as Israel prepares to free hundreds of Palestinians

Shoham was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, along with his wife and two children, who were released during a brief truce in November 2023.

Omer Shem Tov, 22, Eliya Cohen, 27, and Omer Wenkert, 23, were later handed over in Nuseirat in central Gaza. All three were seized from the site of the Nova music festival in a Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Hamas fighters stand in formation as they prepare for the ceremony of Israeli hostages hand over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The sixth Israeli captive, Hisham al-Sayed, crossed into Israeli territory after armed wing of Hamas, Qassam Brigades, released him to the Red Cross in Gaza City without a public ceremony.

Al-Sayed, a member of Israel’s Arab Bedouin community, had been held captive by Hamas since 2015 after crossing into Gaza on his own. His release marks the first time a Muslim Israeli has been freed in this process.

Israeli media reports that the handover was conducted privately, reportedly “out of respect” for Israel’s Arab community.

Israelis watch a live broadcast of the release of six hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza, at a plaza known as the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Meanwhile, crowds have gathered outside the Ofer Prison in the West Bank, awaiting the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. According to Palestinian authorities, 602 prisoners are set to be freed, including 50 serving life sentences and 60 with long-term sentences. Additionally, 445 individuals detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023, will also be released.

This mass release is part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19. Negotiations for the second phase have yet to commence.

(With Inputs from Reuters)