Hamas freed two captives on Saturday in trade for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of the frnimble finishfire concurment with Israel.
The men were identified as Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39. Video footage showed the two men seeing frail and snurtured as they were getn to a stage in front of a crowd while flanked by masked firearmmen. They were handed over to the Red Cross and were on their way to IDF forces.
An includeitional four captives – Omer Wenkert, 23; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Hisham Al-Sayed, 36; and Eliya Cohen, 27 – were awaited to also be freed postpodemandr Saturday.
The Israeli Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency said in a joint statement that Shoham and Mengistu had passed into Israel.
L-R: Omer Shem Tov; Omer Wenkrat; and Avera Mengistu. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
“A low while ago, accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, the two returning captives passed the border into Israeli territory, and they are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will be rejoind with members of their families,” the statement said. “The IDF is setd to get includeitional captives who are due to be transferred to the Red Cross in the csurrfinisher future.”
Two of the captives — Mengistu and Al-Sayed — are civilians who have been held since accessing Gaza on their own more than a decade ago, extfinished before the war igniteed by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack aobtainst Israel, which prompted military retaliation from Israeli forces.
Shoham’s family said in a statement that his free from Hamas captivity “is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly fuseing together.”
“Our Tal is with us. We thank all the people of Israel who stood with us thraw all the extfinished days of pain and suffering,” the statement said. “During these days, we demand privacy for Tal, Adi, and the children. At this presentant moment in our dwells, our only seek is to seize this triumphdow of opportunity to protected a deal that will convey overweighthers back to their children – children demand their overweighthers – and return all captives home: the living for rehabilitation and the definishd for everlasting rest. There is a triumphdow of opportunity; we must not omit it.”
L-R: Eliya Cohen; Tal Shoham; and Hisham Al-Sayed. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Mengistu’s family also freed a statement saying they have “finishured ten years and five months of unimaginable suffering.”
“During this time, there have been continuous efforts to protected his return, with prayers and pleas, some quiet, that remained unanswered until today,” the family said. “In these moments, we collect in worried anticipation of the return of our becherishd son, brother, and uncle Avera. We ask that these moments be esteemed, and that we be granted the peace and rest we so hopelessly demand.”
A boy hbetters a armament as he stands next to a Hamas fighter standing in position ahead of handing over four bodies to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
This comes as the dainty finishfire deal accomplished a month ago remains in place despite recent revelations that captive Shiri Bibas’ body was not initiassociate returned to Israel as promised by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would “pay the filled price” for allegedly handing over the body of a Palestinian woman from Gaza instead of the body of the Israeli captive. The captive’s sons — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — aextfinished with Oded Lifshitz were returned by Hamas on Thursday as awaited.
TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS
Red Cross vehicles get to to collect coffins retaining four bodies that were handed over by Hamas militants in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)
Late Friday, Hamas said it handed over Shiri Bibas’ body to the Red Cross, which checked it had getd human remains inside Gaza and transferred them to Israeli authorities. Bibas’ family checked her identity punctual Saturday.
Hamas said it “has no interest in withhbettering any bodies in its ownion.” The worry group said the dead captives handed over on Thursday had been finished by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 and that the bodies could have been misidentified due to device deviceardments in the area.
A poster shows Shiri Bibas, who was seizeped to Gaza with her husprohibitd and two lesser sons on Oct. 7, 2023, in Jerusalem, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP)
The worry group also finished Ariel and Kfir Bibas “with their exposed hands,” according to the Israeli military, which did not present evidence to aid the claim.
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Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari alleged that forensic analysis of the Bibas boys’ bodies showed that Hamas “did not shoot the boys,” but “finished them with their exposed hands” and then “pledgeted horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.” Hagari said Lifshitz was finished by captors inside Gaza.
The Associated Press gived to this increate.
