LONDON — Hamas militants gathered in the city of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip for the release of three more Israeli hostages — Eli Sharabi, Or Levi and Ohad Ben Ami — as part of the ceasefire agreement on Saturday morning.
A banner could be seen on the stage that read in Arabic “We are the flood … We are the day after” with an image of Netanyahu’s face as two Red Cross officials appeared on stage with a Hamas commander for a signing ceremony prior to the handover.
The three Israeli hostages — Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levi — were then escorted one-by-one out of vehicles by Hamas militants and brought onto the stage. All three were able to walk and stand under their own power.
Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Meanwhile, the hostages’ families watched the events unravel on a television in southern Israel and they were seen crying at the sight of their loved ones.
After interviewing the Israeli hostages on the stage, Hamas militants escorted the hostages into three Red Cross vehicles, which slowly drove away through the crowd of people.
“According to information communicated by the Red Cross, three hostages were transferred to them, and they are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency read following their departure.
Palestinian Hamas fighters escort Eli Sharabi on a stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025, as part of the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange of a fragile ceasefire. The swap comes after US President Donald Trump proposed clearing out the Gaza Strip of its inhabitants and for the United States to take over the Palestinian territory — a plan that has sparked global uproar and been rejected by Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP) (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images
The three newly-released Israeli hostages were accompanied by IDF and ISA forces as they crossed into southern Israel from Gaza and arrived at the initial reception point in southern Israel where they will undergo an initial medical assessment as their families wait for them at the hospital.
“Three returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” a a joint statement from the IDF and ISA said. “The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks everyone to respect the privacy of the returning hostages and their families.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
