Hamas freed six hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the last living Israeli captives slated for release under the first phase of a fragile ceasefire accord, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival […]
Hamas freed six hostages in Gaza as part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The hostages, including Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed, were handed over to the Red Cross and transported to Israeli forces. The release was part of a deal involving the exchange of 602 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Hamas faced criticism for staging public ceremonies during the handovers, which it defended as a show of Palestinian unity. The ceasefire is part of a three-phase process aimed at resolving the conflict, with further talks expected to address the return of remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
