After more than 15 months of captivity, three Israelis were freed by militants in Gaza alongside five Thais who were also captured in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
First to be freed Thursday was 20-year-old Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who was handed over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
Before her release, footage showed her on a stage with masked Hamas members in distinctive green headbands, being prompted to wave to onlookers.
The Red Cross said it facilitated the latest hostage-prisoner exchange but urged all parties to improve security and uphold agreements.
“The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge for improvements in the future,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
Another hostage and prisoner release is scheduled for Saturday, with three Israeli men set to be freed.
All the freed Israeli and Thai hostages were taken to hospitals after their return to Israel, the military said.
The two other freed Israelis are civilians Gadi Moses, 80, and Arbel Yehud, 29, both of whom also hold German nationality.
Yehud’s family, still awaiting the release of her partner and brother from Gaza, urged future releases to go ahead unhindered.
Meanwhile Israeli PM Netanyahu had denounced what he called “shocking scenes” during the hostage releases in Khan Yunis, where television images showed gunmen struggling to control hundreds of Gazans seeking to witness the handover.
Later on Israel’s prison service confirmed it had freed 110 inmates in the latest hostage-prisoner swap under the January 19 ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza.