Al-Qassam Brigades Hand Over Six Israeli Captives to Red Cross Under Ceasefire Deal

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Saturday the release of a seventh group of Israeli captives as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

The two captives, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, were transferred to Red Cross vehicles after being brought onto a stage by Al-Qassam fighters before a crowd of civilians in Rafah, southern Gaza. Shortly after, the Israeli military confirmed their arrival in Israel.

Later, three additional Israeli captives—Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert—were handed over in a similar ceremony in the central town of Nuseirat.

The sixth captive, Hisham al-Sayed, was transferred without a public ceremony in Gaza City. Al-Sayed, a 37-year-old Bedouin Israeli soldier, had entered Gaza in April 2015, where he was captured by Al-Qassam Brigades.

In exchange, Israeli authorities are set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners later today, including 50 serving life sentences and 47 who were rearrested after their release in the 2011 prisoner swap.

Among those freed, 108 prisoners will be forcibly exiled from the occupied Palestinian territories, barred from returning to their homes. This includes Nael al-Barghouthi, the world’s longest-serving political prisoner, who has spent nearly 45 years behind bars.

Many of the recently released Palestinian prisoners have reported torture and mistreatment during their detention, with accounts of physical abuse continuing until the very moment of their release.