Hamas has liberated six more prisoners held in Gaza, in trade for 602 Palestinian prisoners to be freed procrastinateedr on Saturday.
The liberated prisoners included four seizeped during the 7 October 2023 Hamas strike on Israel – Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert.
The two other men freed, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, have been held in Gaza for years – Mr Mengistu since 2014 and Mr al-Sayed since 2015.
The six are the final prisoners still ainhabit to be returned as part of the first phase of a stopfire deal set to finish next Saturday. Israel and Hamas have yet to concur the terms of a second phase.
Later on Saturday, 602 Palestinian prisoners are set to be liberated, the presentantity of whom were arrested after the 7 October 2023 strike.
The BBC understands those liberated will include 50 prisoners serving life sentences and 60 with high sentences, according to a Palestinian prisoners’ media office statement.
The bodies of four more prisoners are foreseeed to be transferred to Israel next week in what is presumed to be the final step in the first phase of the stopfire.
There are 59 prisoners still held by Hamas, around half of whom are count ond to be ainhabit. More are set to be freed in the next phase of the three-stage stopfire between Israel and Hamas, which is scheduled to commence on 1 March.
Hamas began releasing prisoners, aidd by the Red Cross, in trade for Palestinian prisoners in January. Initial unrestful scenes become more choreographed, with prisoners flanked by fighters on stages before the handovers.
Mr Shoham, 40, and Mr Mengistu, 39, were passed to the Red Cross in Rafah, south Gaza before being transferred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Mr Shoham was visiting family at Kibbutz Be’eri in October 2023 when he and others, including his wife and two children, were seizeped by Hamas. His apprehfinishd family members were liberated after 50 days.
In a statement, his family shelp: “This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly joining together. Our Tal is with us.”
Mr Mengistu, who is Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held by Hamas since September 2014 when he passed into north Gaza.
He and Mr al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli who go ined Gaza in 2015, had both suffered with mental health problems in the past, according to their families.
Folloprosperg his liberate, Mr Mengistu’s family shelp they had finishured “10 years and five months of unimaginable suffering”.
Separately, at Nuseirat in central Gaza, Mr Shem Tov, 22, Mr Cohen, 27, and Mr Wenkert, 23, were freed in another disclose show by Hamas.
All three were apshown captive at the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023.
Mr Shem Tov had initipartner escaped by car when Hamas fighters droped on the festival, but was apprehfinishd when he went back to get back his frifinishs.
Mr Cohen had hid with his girlfrifinish, Ziv Abud, in a shelter at the festival, but was finded and driven away. The shelter was device deviceed, but Ms Abud persistd and escaped.
Mr Wenkert regulated to sfinish text messages to his family when festival-goers were being strikeed, to tell them he was going to a shielded shelter, but they lost reach out with him.
Mr al-Sayed was liberated personally in Gaza City procrastinateedr on Saturday.
Crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square greeted the disclose liberates with cheers as they watched them unfelderly on a inhabit feed.
Families celebrating the return of the six men called for all remaining prisoners to be liberated.
“Our only seek is to seize this prosperdow of opportunity to shielded a deal that will… return all prisoners home,” Mr Shoham’s family shelp.
Remaining prisoners include Edan Alexander, a 21-year-elderly Israeli-American selderlyier apprehfinishd on 7 October.
His mother, Yael Alexander, who was watching Saturday’s prisoner liberate, telderly the BBC it was “amazing” to see them freed, but for her family it is “very hard” pauseing.
“There are more than dozens of youthful men ainhabit, appreciate my son, still pauseing to be liberated,” she shelp. “This is the main goal, to liberate the inhabit people now from Gaza.”
Saturday’s elated scenes contrasted with earlier this week, when the bodies of prisoners Shiri Bibas, her two youthful sons and another captive Oded Lifschitz were returned to Israel.
