Hamas and Israel begin prisoner exchange before Gaza summit

Hamas has released all 20 of the living captives it had been holding in the Gaza Strip, with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners by Israel under way, as the two sides carry out the conditions of the ceasefire deal.

Cheers broke out in Israel early on Monday, as television channels announced that the first lot of seven captives had been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Israeli military later confirmed that 13 more captives taken from Israel on October 7, 2023, who had been held in Gaza for more than two years, were also transferred.

Meanwhile, preparations for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails were progressing, with buses seen outside the Ofer military prison, in the occupied West Bank, where many of the Palestinian prisoners due to be released were held.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the prisoners would be released once Israel received confirmation that all the living captives were on Israeli territory.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post on X, identified the captives released in the first group as Guy Gilboa Dalal, 24, Eitan Mor, 25, Matan Angrest, 22, Alon Ohel, 24, Gali and Ziv Berman, both 28, and Omri Miran, 48.

Families were reunited with their loved ones before the released captives were flown to hospitals for medical treatment.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, media’s Nour Odeh said the released captives were “reported to be in reasonable condition, walking without needing medical assistance”.

Ohel’s parents told The Times of Israel that their son “looks amazing” and is “standing on his own two feet”, while Mor’s mother told Ynet News that her son “looks great, although thin and pale”.

Earlier, Netanyahu’s spokesperson had said Israel expected that all living captives would be released before the 09:00 GMT deadline, under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by United States President Donald Trump.

However, Israel does not expect the repatriation of the bodies of the remaining 28 captives to be completed on Monday, despite a 72-hour deadline agreed under the deal, the spokesperson said.

‘The war is over’

While key questions remain over the future of Gaza and Hamas’s role in the territory, the exchange of captives and prisoners has raised hopes for ending the devastating war, which has ravaged the enclave, with at least 67,806 people killed and 170,066 wounded in the Palestinian enclave.

The ceasefire is also expected to allow for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where famine has broken out amid Israel’s bombardment and blockade of the territory. Many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are reported to be on the brink of starvation.

Amid the transfers, Trump, whose administration played a leading role in putting together the deal, arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, where he was welcomed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu.

Trump is set to address the Israeli Knesset later on Monday, after which he will fly to Egypt to co-chair a summit on the ceasefire agreement.

“The war is over,” Trump told reporters as he left for Israel on Sunday, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.

Reporting from Khan Younis, media’s Hind Khoudary said a designated medical point had been set up at the Nasser Medical Complex to offer medical checks to the returning Palestinian prisoners before they are reunited with their families.

Thousands of Palestinians had gathered outside the hospital waiting to welcome the released detainees, she said.

Waiting in Khan Younis was Yasser Abu Azzoum, whose 23-year-old son Mohammed was set to be released under the deal.

He told media the feeling was “indescribable”.

“I’m not able to speak properly because I am overwhelmed with joy,” Abu Azzoum said.