It said in a statement that 183 prisoners “were released” to the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza.
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Released Israeli hostage urges govt to complete deal
Ohad Ben Am is released by Hamas in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Palestine on February 8, 2025. — Reuters Ohad Ben Ami, a released Israeli hostage, has urged his government to complete the ceasefire agreement with Hamas to free the remaining Palestinians and end the offensive on Gaza.
“I say to the families of the captives, go out and demonstrate and ask the Israeli government to move to the second and third stages of the deal,” Ami said during his handover as quoted by Al Jazeera.
“The only way to bring all captives home from Gaza is through completing the exchange agreement,” he added.
“You failed on October 7, you failed to free us through military pressure, and now I’m released through a deal.”
Red Cross calls for next hostage-prisoner swap to be held in ‘private’
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is facilitating ongoing hostage-prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire deal, called on Saturday for future swaps to be held in “private”.
“The ICRC is increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations. We strongly urge all parties, including the mediators, to take responsibility to ensure that future releases are dignified and private,” the ICRC said in a statement after it completed the fifth exchange earlier on Saturday.
