Hamas hands over 20 Israeli hostages, Israel releases 96 Palestinian prisoners
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Palestinian movement Hamas handed over on Monday all remaining living Israeli hostages in its custody, totaling 20 individuals, as part of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal with Israel, sources confirmed.
The Israeli army announced that it had received the final group of 13 hostages after an earlier batch of seven had been handed over earlier in the day.
Earlier on Monday morning, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that it had received the first group of seven released Israeli hostages from northern Gaza, marking the initial stage of the exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.
Israeli state television broadcast footage showing buses transporting released Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons toward the Gaza Strip as part of the truce and exchange agreement.
According to the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA), 96 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and long-term sentences were released from Ofer Prison and arrived in the city of Ramallah.
The latest developments come under a temporary ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, aiming to facilitate the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
The truce also seeks to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip after weeks of intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations.
Since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel, around 250 people were taken hostage and brought into Gaza. The majority of them have been released in several stages as part of mediated agreements, while dozens remain missing or confirmed dead.
The latest prisoner exchange is seen as a significant confidence-building measure within broader negotiations to extend the ceasefire and potentially pave the way for a lasting de-escalation.
According to Palestinian authorities, thousands of Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, including women and minors, many detained without formal charges under the so-called administrative detention policy.