The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has begun this Saturday the process of liberation of six Israeli hostages distributed in two ceremonies held in the center and in the south of the Gaza Strip.
This Saturday is the seventh exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners since the entry into force of the first phase of the high fire between Hamas and Israel that put a temporary end to hostilities in the strip on January 19.
Avera Mengistu and such Shoham have been released in the city of Rafá, on the border with Egypt, while Hisham al Sayed, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert and Omer Shem Tov will be delivered to a Red Cross Committee in the Gazatí town of Nuseirat.
Mengistu, 37, an Ethiopian-Israeli citizen, was arrested by a patrol in Hamas in September 2014 when he decided to enter at his own risk in the enclave. Such Shoham, 39, with the double Austrian-Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped in the Beeri community during the attack of the Palestinian militias against Israel, on October 7, 2023.
The delivery of both hostages has been confirmed by the Red Cross and by the Israeli army. In exchange for the six hostages, Israel will release 602 Palestinian prisoners, most of them detained after the outbreak of the war.
Specifically, 445 Gazaties arrested since October 7, 2023, plus 50 prisoners previously sentenced to Perpetua and another 60 that had also been long sentences before the beginning of the conflict, according to a statement from the Palestine Office in charge of the situation of the situation of the situation of the situation of the situation of the situation of the situation of the situation. prisoners, published in his Telegram account.
This first phase had an expected duration of 42 days and expires within a week without still according to the view on a second stage.
In this regard, the spokesman for Hamas, Abdul Latif al Qanou, has reiterated this Saturday that the Palestinian movement is willing to complete “a broad and integral exchange process in a single package based on the definitive cessation of war, the withdrawal of The occupation and reconstruction of L
