The post Red Cross heading to Gaza City to collect hostage Hisham al-Sayed without ceremony appeared first on The Times of Israel.
Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to end.
After nearly 500 days in captivity in Gaza, with little access to media, recently freed hostages have many questions.
In my view, Israel’s readiness is not a bluff; it reflects a genuine intent to enforce the transfer through military means. This might not involve a full reoccupation of Gaza, but rather relentless bombings, starvation, and the creation of unliveable conditions to force Palestinians to flee, echoing the strategies used during the Nakba.
Hamas said it would exchange the bodies of four Israeli hostages for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday (Feb 27), capping the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal. The United States said
Hamas freed three Israelis who appeared to be in relatively good condition, and Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners. The exchange will likely sustain a fragile cease-fire, at least for now.
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, left, and Israeli-Russian Alexander Troufanov, 29, are escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday ...
The handover marks the first return of the bodies of captives under the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel that took effect last month and will also see hundreds of Palestinians released from Israeli jails, where allegations of abuse and torture are widespread and where many have been kept in detention without any charge or trial.