Six Israeli prisoners were handed over in Gaza today as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, with 602 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released in return.
The handover of six Israeli detainees took place in the Gaza Strip as part of the seventh batch of exchange operations within the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since January 19.
The Al-Qassam Brigades transferred Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham to the International Red Cross in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip. Later, four additional prisoners were handed over in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
Following the signing of the receipt by the Red Cross, Mengistu and Shoham, both soldiers, were moved to vehicles belonging to the organization after climbing onto a platform set up in the project square east of Rafah. Mengistu was captured in 2014 after entering Gaza from the Zikim settlement.
The Israeli army confirmed the return of the two released prisoners to Israel, with initial medical examinations confirming they were in good health.
The moment Al-Qassam Brigades release two Israeli soldier captives in Rafah as part of the seventh batch of the prisoner exchange.
Avera Mengistu, held for a decade, has also been freed in exchange for 46 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences.
In total, Israel will… pic.twitter.com/DDoa0g2FVF
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 22, 2025
The handover ceremony took place in Rafah and Nuseirat and was attended by a large military and civilian crowd. Several formations of the Qassam Brigades, including the Shadow Unit responsible for prisoners, participated in the event.
Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades, had previously announced that the released prisoners would include Ilya Cohen, Omer Shev Tov, Omer Finkert, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed.
In exchange, 602 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released today from Israeli prisons, including 50 sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 with long sentences, and 47 who were re-arrested after being freed in the Wafa al-Ahrar (Gilat Salid) deal, as confirmed by the Prisoners Affairs Office affiliated with Hamas.
Additionally, 445 prisoners from the Gaza Strip, detained after October 7, 2023, will be freed.
At the delivery platforms in Rafah and Nuseirat, the Qassam Brigades displayed weapons seized during battles with Israeli forces, as well as images of resistance leaders martyred in the last war on Gaza. A large banner displayed the message: “We are the flood… we are the great might.”
In Rafah, the handover occurred at Al Mashrou’ Square, just hundreds of meters from Israeli occupation forces.
🚨 The handover of three Israeli soldiers is currently taking place in Nuseirat, central Gaza, with large crowds and participation from all resistance factions.
Meanwhile, the release of the sixth captive, Hisham al-Sayyed, a Palestinian from the 1948 occupied lands, will take… pic.twitter.com/eSLeAn2qtz
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 22, 2025
In Nuseirat, the ceremony took place amidst a large crowd and featured weapons seized during operations like the Jhar al-Deek operation and the “death ambush” east of the Maghazi camp, which resulted in the deaths of 22 Israeli soldiers.
Fighters from various resistance factions participated in the ceremony, with a slogan reading, “The land knows its people… from the foreigners with dual citizenship.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Army Radio reported the identification of Shiri Bibas’s body, confirming her death along with her two children. She was returned to Israel following a handover from Gaza. Earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades had handed over the bodies of three Israelis killed in captivity, one of whom was confirmed to be a female from Gaza.
Hamas rejected accusations made by the Israeli army spokesperson that they had killed the Bibas family, calling them “pure lies” in the context of the ongoing war.
Israel is reportedly demanding the release of 22 living prisoners as part of the second phase of the deal, with talks scheduled in the coming weeks. The US has set a goal for an agreement between Israel and Hamas within two weeks, with discussions taking place between US officials and Qatari leaders.
Special Handover of Hisham al-Sayed
Sources in the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, told Al-Jazeera that Israeli detainee Hisham al-Sayed will be handed over today in Gaza City, located in the northern Gaza Strip. However, no official ceremony will be held to respect the feelings of Palestinians in the occupied interior.
🚨 The handover of three Israeli soldiers is currently taking place in Nuseirat, central Gaza, with large crowds and participation from all resistance factions.
Meanwhile, the release of the sixth captive, Hisham al-Sayyed, a Palestinian from the 1948 occupied lands, will take… pic.twitter.com/eSLeAn2qtz
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 22, 2025
According to Al-Qassam sources, the Brigades decided against holding a ceremony for this particular prisoner as a clear message against the recruitment of Palestinians from within the occupation’s ranks, which is rejected by all Palestinian factions.
The sources further indicated that despite al-Sayed serving in the Israeli army, Israel had abandoned him during his 10-year captivity and ignored his family’s requests for his release, reflecting Israeli policy towards non-Jewish prisoners.
The decision aligns with Hamas’s stance from the 2021 ‘Dignity Intifada’, asserting that the homeland belongs to its Palestinian people and that settlers, not Palestinians, must leave.
Al-Sayed will be the fourth Israeli prisoner to be handed over in Gaza City, joining three other prisoners scheduled for release in the Nuseirat camp.
(PC, AJA)
