Hamas and Israel are exchanging hostages and prisoners today in the fifth swap of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. The three hostages freed by Hamas were first paraded on stage and given a microphone – scenes Benjamin Netanyahu has warned he will not forget. Follow the latest below.
Saturday 8 February 2025 11:25, UK
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Of the 183 Palestinian prisoners being freed, 18 have been serving life sentences, 54 were serving long sentences and the vast majority, 111, were detained in Gaza during the war.
Seven are being deported to Egypt because they are serving life sentences.
Right now, 42 of them are being returned home to the West Bank, as you can see in the pictures in the post below.
Our Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said some of the prisoners released today are in a “very bad condition”.
“Some of the Palestinian prisoners who are being released are being kept in prison, without charge, without the ability to see family members or see lawyers,” Bunkall said.
“And they have been kept there under unclear circumstances, arrested by the Israeli military, many of them in the past 12 months.”
Buses transporting Palestinian prisoners from Israel’s Ofer prison have arrived in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group, there are 183 due to be freed, backing up previous reports.
Of those, 111 are from Gaza, while 72 are from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the group adds.
More now from Benjamin Netanyahu, who just minutes ago said Israel will not “gloss over” the “shocking” images of the three hostages – see our 10.08am post.
Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy all looked thin and emaciated as they were led onto a stage by Hamas gunmen.
Now the prime minister’s office has just released this statement: “Due to the serious condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations by the Hamas terrorist organisation, Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed to not allow the situation to go unaddressed, and to take appropriate measures.”
Israel has begun releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners, with buses now arriving in the West Bank.
Large crowds are waiting there to welcome them back home.
A total of 183 prisoners are expected to be released – as part of the exchange for three Israeli hostages – with the majority returning to Gaza.
Eli Sharabi was one of the three Israeli hostages freed today, but his family still doesn’t know if he is aware of the news that awaits him.
His wife Lianne Sharabi, along with their children 16-year-old Noiya and 13-year-old Yahel, were killed in the October 7 attack, while his brother Yossi was killed after being taken hostage.
But Eli’s brother-in-law has just told us they don’t know if he ever found out his family’s fate.
“All the way through this, we’ve wondered whether what’s kept him going is the prospect of being reunited with Lianne and the girls,” Stephen Brisley, Lianne’s brother, told our presenter Anna Jones.
“I know that the first question that he’s going to ask – as soon as he got into the Red Cross vehicle – was going to be if he doesn’t know that they’re dead… I think one of the one of the distressing things for me to think about is that that news, if it has to be broken, is going to be broken to him by a stranger in the back of a jeep on Gazan soil.
“We just simply don’t know what he knows.”
They didn’t know for sure if Eli was alive until they saw his name on a list yesterday afternoon, he said, and they were relieved to see him freed on TV.
But the impact of captivity, he added, was “written all over his face”.
“Actually seeing him come out of the car and onto the stage, it was a real maelstrom of emotions, relief at seeing him alive, that he was upright, seemingly walking independently,” he added.
“But you can see how skinny he is, how pale he is. You wonder how much daylight he’s seen. Very gaunt face.”
What really struck him, he continued, was his once “happy” face now showing a “lack of light in the eyes”.
While Brisley said he wants to throw his arms around Eli, he also worries he will remind him of what he lost – and is willing to keep his distance if that were to help.
As Israel confirms the three hostages have now crossed over into Israeli territory, Benjamin Netanyahu has shared a warning with Hamas.
We saw earlier the trio were first paraded on a podium by Hamas before they were handed over to the Red Cross.
They looked thin and emaciated, and were seemingly told to speak into a microphone, reportedly calling for Israel to stop the war and stick to the ceasefire – though they spoke with Hamas gunmen surrounding them.
Responding to these images, Natenyahu said: “We will not gloss over the shocking scenes that we saw today.”
Lawyers for the British hostage families criticised the “grotesque spectacle” of their release and said they were “saddened” by their physical condition.
This “should be a wake-up call, if one were needed, to ensure the speedy return of all of the other hostages”, they added.
The three hostages are on the way for an “initial medical assessment”, Israel has confirmed.
They are being accompanied by the IDF.
“The IDF salutes and embraces the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” the military wrote in a statement.
The hostages are now on their way to the Israeli border, after 16 months in Hamas captivity.
Here you can see Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy under Hamas’s control for the last time, as they are transferred to the Red Cross.
Relatives cheered and broke down in tears as live footage showed Eli Sharabi appear on TV.
Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy are also being transferred to the Israeli border now, where they will soon reunite with their loved ones.
There was no audio from the stage as the newly-released hostages spoke into a microphone, but we understand they have called for Israel to end the war.
Our Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall points out whatever they say must be taken with a pinch of salt, given they are speaking with Hamas gunmen surrounding them.
Hostages have not been interviewed by Hamas or spoken during previous releases.
But today the hostages – looking gaunt and in a bad condition – were paraded and apparently asked to speak into a microphone before they were handed over.
“I’m told they were saying that the war should stop, the Israeli government should agree to the second and third stages of the ceasefire deal,” Bunkall said.
“And they apparently spoke about Hamas and thanked them for saving them from the attacks by Israel.”
For more on the stages of the ceasefire deal, see our 6.17am post.
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