Six hostages released by Hamas including two held for a decade
The group are the last remaining living hostages due to be set free in phase one of the ceasefire deal
Six more Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas in Gaza – with the terror organisation again attempting to use the handovers as a propaganda opportunity.
Three hostages – Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert – were led onto a stage in Nuseirat in central Gaza, surrounded by armed terrorists, some of whom filmed the proceedings.
Hamas displayed messages mocking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on banners placed on a stage that is set to be used during Saturday’s hostage release in central Gaza.
One message quoted Netanyahu as saying “Military pressure alone will return the hostages,” with another message below mocking Netanyahu saying, “Bibi… Don’t press… relax.”
The three hostages were told to wave to the watching crowd as they were handed the now familiar certificates produced by Hamas for all of the staged hostage releases.
Two other hostages – Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu – were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah, and driven away in their vehicles to be handed over to Israel’s Shin Bet.
Hostage Hisham al-Sayed, who entered Gaza in 2015 and has been held there since, was released separately in Gaza City.
The IDF shared the emotional scenes as Mengistu, who had spent a decade in Hamas captivity, was reunited with his family.
In Israel, the families of the freed hostages, along with thousands who gathered in Hostage Square looked jubilant at the sight of the five released men.
Avera Mengistu is reunited with his family after he was held by Hamas for over a decade
Daniel Meheret, an activist who has been campaigning for the release of Abera Mengistu for years, affixed stickers reading “I’ve come home” to posters of Mengistu, who has returned to Israel after a decade in Hamas captivity.
“This is a joyous, indescribable moment,” he said from Hostage Square. “Along with other activists and his family, we’ve been trying to tell Abera’s story for ten and a half years, but sadly, he hadn’t gotten that embrace from the people of this country.”
It took the October 7 massacre to highlight his plight to the nation.
“Our family has endured ten years and five months of unimaginable suffering,”Mengistu’s family said in a statement on Saturday, adding that during this time, “tireless efforts have been made for his return – prayers and cries, some silent – that have gone unanswered until today.”
Inbal Tzach, a relative of Tal Shoham said as he was released that “this is a very difficult day, we didn’t imagine this would take so long – 505 days. We are grateful that he is home, and we promise that we will continue struggling until the last hostage returns home.”
She added that “we hug the wonderful Bibas family and Nir Oz community and all the families that are waiting for their loved one – we won’t leave them, only changing shorts and continuing the struggle.”
More than 600 Palestinian prisoners were also released by Israel on Saturday as agreed in phase one of the ceasefire deal.
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