The Israeli army announced that the three Israelis, who were released earlier today by the Palestinian Islamist movement, reached.
Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sarabi and Or Levi “crossed the border with Israeli territory” and are on their way to their reception, where they will meet with “members of their families”, the Israeli army said in a statement.
He had earlier announced that the Red Cross handed him the three Israeli hostages to the Gaza Strip of Gaza, and they were accompanied by members of the Israeli Special Forces to Israeli territory.
Hamas today released the three hostages after 16 months of their captivity in the Gaza Strip, during the 5th exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
After being transferred from Hamas by truck, the three hostages, Or Levi, 34, Eli Sarabi, 52 years old, and Israeli Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were led to a podium at a ceremony organized by her fighters organized Hamas in Deir al -Balah, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, according to AFP correspondents there.
Subsequently, the ceasefire agreement came into force to the Red Cross International Committee, which in turn transported them to the Israeli authorities.
Dozens of Hamas armed fighters with covered faces had formed a chain around the point where the platform was set up. There were photos of damaged Israeli armored vehicles, green flags of the Palestinian Islamist movement and photos of his dead commanders.
The crowd, a few hundred people, was prolonged behind the chain.
In Tel Aviv, hundreds of hostages were gathered in the “Homer Square” to watch the direct release of the hostage liberation.
There is a giant screen installed, measuring the days, hours, minutes and seconds from the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, during which the hostages were abducted and led to the Gaza Strip.
The consideration
In return for the three hostages, Israel will release “18 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, 54 sentenced to heavy penalties and 111 arrested in Gaza after October 7” 2023, according to Amani Sarahis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to attend the process from the US, where he is on a visit.
There were doubts, but finally ended on Friday night on whether the venture would go ahead, after the shock caused by the plan presented by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the US to “take control” of the Gaza Strip.
Eli Sarabi’s wife and their two teenage daughters were killed at their home in Kibutz Beeri, southern Israel, when the Palestinian Islamist movement was attacked in southern areas of Israeli territory. Yosi Sarabi, his older brother, who was abducted separately, is considered by the Israeli army to be dead.
Or Levi’s wife, Einav, was killed during the attack of Hamas members at the Nova Music Festival, where the couple had gone.
Ohand Ben Ami’s wife, who had been with him in Kibbutz Beeri, was released on the first one -week -long ceasefire in November 2023.
For the families of the hostages with whom they had no contact for more than a year, the anxiety had peaked today as their release was.
“I can’t even begin to describe the emotions, the excitement, how happy we are that we are finally approaching the end,” said Michael Levi, his brother, who has a three -year -old son.
“We are waiting to embrace him, we are waiting to see Almog (his son) to hug his father soon,” he added.
Today, the exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners will reach five after the fire in the Gaza Strip on January 19, after 15 months of war, was implemented, after a prior attack by Hamas.
