Hamas hands over three Israeli captives in sixth phase of prisoner exchange
The captives—Alexander (Sasha) Turbanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Yair Horn—were transferred to the International Red Cross Committee in an operation that took place east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also handed one of the hostages an hourglass inscribed with "Time is running out" in three languages, a message directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed that the hostages were transferred to an Israeli military and Shin Bet unit inside Gaza.
Hamas has now released 19 Israelis in return for 766 Palestinian detainees, including women and children, from Israeli prisons.
On Saturday, Israel is set to release an additional 369 Palestinian detainees as part of the ongoing ceasefire and exchange agreement.
The ceasefire agreement, which took effect in Gaza on January 19, halted the months-long conflict that has devastated the enclave, with over 48,000 Palestinians killed, most of them women and children, and large parts of Gaza left in ruins.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Additionally, Israel faces an ongoing genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military campaign in the enclave. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
20 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Video of Israeli hostage in Gaza published by Palestinian militant group
The armed wing of a Palestinian militant group published a video Thursday of an Israeli–German hostage who was abducted and taken to Gaza in October 2023 during the attack that sparked the war in the territory. In the six-minute video, the man, Rom Braslavski, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the hunger crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release. AFP was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video or the date it was filmed, but an organization representing hostages' families identified the man as Braslavski, 21, a German–Israeli dual national. Islamic Jihad, which said last week that it had lost contact with the hostage, repeated that claim in commentary at the beginning of the latest video, suggesting the images were filmed more than a week ago. A previous video of Braslavski was released on April 16. Originally from Jerusalem, Braslavski was a security agent at the Nova music festival, one of the sites attacked in October 2023 by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters, including members of Islamic Jihad. The footage shows the young man watching an Arabic-language television channel broadcasting a report on hunger in Gaza. 'They managed to break Rom. Even the strongest person has a breaking point,' his family said in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. 'Rom is an example of all the hostages. They must all be brought home now.' Before his abduction, Braslavski rescued several festival-goers, according to witnesses who managed to escape. Of the 251 people taken from Israel that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli army. Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the kidnappings, but a truce from January 19 to March 17 allowed the return of 33 hostages to Israel, eight of them dead, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Others were released under a previous truce in 2023.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi interior minister visits Interpol head office
LYON, France: Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif visited Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France on Thursday where he was received by the organization's president, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi. During the visit, Prince Abdulaziz affirmed the Kingdom's ongoing support for Interpol and its efforts to strengthen international cooperation in combating transnational crime. He praised its role in supporting international security efforts and enhancing cooperation among security agencies around the world. Interpol's current president is from the United Arab Emirates. Al-Raisi was elected at the 89th General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkiye, in November 2021. His term ends this year.
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Islamic Jihad publishes video of Israeli hostage held in Gaza
GAZA CITY: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad published a video Thursday of an Israeli-German hostage who was abducted to Gaza in October 2023 during the attack that sparked the Gaza war. In the six-minute video, the male hostage, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the hunger crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release. AFP was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video nor the date it was filmed, but was able — along with several Israeli news outlets — to identify the hostage as Rom Braslavksi, a German-Israeli dual national. Islamic Jihad announced last week that it had lost contact with the hostage and repeats this in commentary at the beginning of the latest video, suggesting the images were filmed more than a week ago. A previous video of Braslavski was released on April 16. Originally from Jerusalem, Braslavski was a security agent at the Nova music festival, one of the sites attacked in October 2023 by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters, including members of Islamic Jihad. The footage, distributed by a movement considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, shows the young man watching an Arabic-language television channel broadcasting a report on hunger in Gaza. Before his abduction, he rescued several festivalgoers, according to witnesses who managed to escape. Of the 251 people taken from Israel that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli army. Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the kidnappings, but a truce from January 19 to March 17 allowed the return of 33 hostages to Israel, eight of them dead, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli jails.
