Under a truce, Hamas released two Israeli hostages in its most recent transfer.

 

Palestinian militants released two Israeli hostages on Saturday, February 22, among the last captives eligible for release under the initial phase of a fragile truce that also includes the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.

 

The release coincides with a period of emotional turmoil in Israel after Shiri Bibas' family confirmed on Saturday that they had gotten her remains. Bibas and her two young sons have become symbols of the suffering endured by Israeli hostages since the Gaza war began.

 

The October 7, 2023, unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the capture of dozens of captives by militants, leading to over 15 months of conflict in Gaza.

 

Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu were escorted onto a stage by armed and masked fighters in Rafah, southern Gaza before Shoham gave a speech. The Red Cross took possession of the two and transported them in a convoy. The military reported that Israeli security forces later took custody of them and returned them to Israeli territory.

 

In Tel Aviv, hundreds gathered at 'Hostages Square' and reacted with applause and tears as they watched the broadcast of the release.

 

Later that morning, four more hostages were scheduled to be released in a separate exchange in central Gaza. Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Hisham al-Sayed, among others, have been named as those expected to be released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. For approximately a decade, Sayed and Mengistu were imprisoned in Gaza.

 

As part of the ceasefire deal that began on January 19 and is scheduled to end in early March, the hostages were released as part of the initial phase. Four more hostages from Nuseirat in central Gaza will be released later today, as confirmed by a Hamas source.

 

Militants staged a ceremony at both release sites that had been rehearsed, with stages set up in front of banners promoting their cause and honoring fallen fighters. The Red Cross has consistently advocated for handovers to be conducted with dignity.

 

Hamas fighters in Rafah showed their strength by standing with automatic weapons and rocket launchers during a cold rain while listening to Palestinian nationalistic music. The green flags of Hamas were prominently displayed around buildings that had been destroyed in the war.

 

Meanwhile, Israel was set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners as part of the exchange, according to the advocacy group of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club. A spokesperson said most of them were Gazans arrested after the war began, with some facing deportation outside Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Heavy sentences were being served by those who were expelled.

 

The ceasefire has enabled the release of 21 living Israeli hostages in return for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

 

The release of hostages on Saturday follows the first transfer of hostage bodies on Thursday. Hamas initially claimed that the remains of Shiri Bibas were among those returned, but Israeli authorities later determined that they were not hers, leading to widespread grief and anger. Hamas later acknowledged “the possibility of an error or mix-up of bodies,” blaming Israeli airstrikes for the confusion.

On Friday, the Red Cross confirmed the transfer of more remains, but they did not reveal their identity. The Bibas family later stated, 'After the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, this morning we received the news we feared the most.' After being murdered in captivity, Shiri is now returning home to rest with her sons, husband, sister, and all of her family.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing domestic pressure over his handling of the war and hostage situation, vowed on Friday to “ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.”

 

On Friday, February 20, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that an analysis of the remains confirmed that Palestinian militants had k!lled Bibas’s sons, Ariel and Kfir, “with their bare hands” in November 2023. Hamas has maintained that an Israeli airstrike k!lled the children and their mother early in the war.

 

Shiri’s sister-in-law, Ofri Bibas, said the family was “not seeking revenge right now” but directed criticism at Netanyahu, stating there would be “no forgiveness” for failing to secure the safety of the mother and her young sons.

 

Among the four bodies returned Thursday, February 20, was that of Oded Lifshitz, 83. Hamas and its allies took 251 people hostage during the October 7 attack that triggered the war. Of those, 65 remain in Gaza, including 35 who the Israeli military says are dead.

 

The attack resulted in 1,215 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 48,319 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.