Hamas Hands Over Three Israeli Captives to Red Cross As Ceasefire Begins
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross on Sunday as part of the initial phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.
The captives were transferred by Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, at Saraya Square in central Gaza City, an Anadolu reporter confirmed.
The Israeli military stated that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had informed them about the transfer of the captives—Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher.
The three female captives are now in Israeli forces' custody, the military added, noting that all three were reported to be in good health, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The handover process in Gaza City involved a significant presence of Qassam Brigades members and vehicles.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement commenced at 11:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT) on Sunday, after an initial delay. The start was postponed from the originally scheduled time of 8:30 a.m. due to Israeli claims that Hamas had delayed providing the list of captives to be released.
Since the onset of Israel’s military aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, over 47,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, and more than 110,700 injured, according to local health authorities.
The war has left over 11,000 missing and led to extensive destruction and one of the worst global humanitarian crises in recent history.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.