What we know
- Hamas today freed eight hostages and Israel was set to release 110 Palestinian detainees and prisoners during the latest exchange in the ongoing ceasefire-hostage deal.
- Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the release of the Palestinians after calling the hostage handovers “horrific.” He later OK’d them, saying he had received assurances about future exchanges.
- Agam Berger, 20, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and 80-year-old Gadi Moses were freed in Gaza. Five Thai nationals were also released: Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak.
- As Palestinians took to the streets to celebrate and greet the released prisoners, Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammed al-Deif, the leader of its military wing.
- As of today, a total of 15 hostages and 400 Palestinians will have been set free since Jan. 19.
Hamas confirms death of military leader months after IDF said it killed him
Hamas today confirmed the death of Mohammed al-Deif, the leader of its military wing, months after Israel's military said it had proof he was killed.
The militant group released a statement announcing al-Deif's death among those of numerous other leaders, including deputy commander Marwan Issa. The IDF said in July it was targeting al-Deif when it unleashed a bombardment on the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis that killed at least 90 people.
Israeli authorities said in August that the country had proof al-Dief had been killed, but Hamas had not not confirmed his death until now.
Jubilation greets released prisoners and detainees
Red Cross vehicles carrying Palestinian prisoners and detainees were engulfed by revelers in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In Ramallah in the West Bank, people leaving the buses were carried on the shoulders of chanting civilians. Video showed the newly released men throwing their hands up in greeting as they were carried through packed streets.
Video showed similar scenes in Gaza as the freed prisoners and detainees could barely make their way past people while exiting the vans. Al Jazeera reported that hundreds of people rushed to the courtyard of a Khan Younis hospital to greet the prisoners.
Crowds cheer convoy carrying those released from prison
Palestinians lined streets in the occupied West Bank this evening waiting for buses carrying today's group of released Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Cheers, whistles and cars with flashing lights and sirens greeted the convoy of buses as it drove through Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian administrative capital.
Palestinian militant leader believed among those to be released
Former Palestinian militant leader Zakaria Zubeidi is expected to be released from Israeli custody today as part of the deal to exchange prisoners and detainees for hostages, according to multiple media reports.
As a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of Hamas rival Fatah, Zubeidi became prominent during the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s. He was among many who put down their arms in exchange for amnesty from Israeli authorities.
Zubeidi turned to the arts after that, leading a theater in the Jenin refugee camp as a way to revitalize Palestinian culture. He told NPR in 2008 that he felt the theater was a much more beneficial weapon.
"As a resistance fighter, I felt I was missing culture and the depth of politics," Zubiedi said. "So, unfortunately, all my resistance work was wasted. Therefore, I’m getting back to culture as my way of getting to resistance.”
Israeli authorities later revoked Zubeidi's pardon in 2011, ordering him to years in the custody of the Palestinian Authority, according to the Times of Israel. He was released in 2017 but Israeli authorities accused him of taking part in a shooting two years later, which Zubeidi denied.
He broke out of Gilboa prison with five others in 2021 and was taken back into custody shortly after.
Buses apparently carrying Palestinians leave Israeli prison
Reuters video showed buses apparently carrying Palestinian prisoners and detainees leaving Israel's Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank after an hourslong delay.
The news agency also showed heavily armed men flanked by armored vehicles shooting what appeared to be tear gas into the the streets. Israeli authorities have forbidden Palestinians from celebrating the return of the detainees and prisoners.
Video also showed a waiting crowd in the city of Ramallah.
Arbel Yehoud's family 'overwhelmed with emotion'
Arbel Yehoud's family has said they are "overwhelmed with emotion" following the release of their daughter, which they said marked the end of a "life's mission to bring Arbel back to us."
The family added that they continued to grieve the loss of their son, Dolev Yehoud, 25, who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks. And that Arbel's partner, Ariel Cunio, 27, remains held in Hamas captivity.
"Ahead of us lies another journey of family rehabilitation," they said in a statement released through the Hostage Families Forum. "We are a bereaved family, still aching and missing our Dolev."
"Our Arbel has been returned. However, our mission is not yet complete," they added, with Cunio, his brother and a close friend also still among those held hostage.
Released hostages being taken to hospitals for medical care and review
The hostages released by Hamas today are being taken to hospitals for medical treatment and review, a spokesperson for the Israeli military said.
Gadi Moses was being transported on Israeli Air Force helicopters, along with five Thai nationals, Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak, the spokesperson said.
The 80-year-old is expected to meet with his family at the hospital and receive medical treatment, they said. The Thai nationals released will be accompanied by representatives from their government, they added.
Arbel Yehoud and her family expected to depart to a hospital "soon," they said.
Chaotic scenes as Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud handed to Red Cross
There were chaotic scenes as Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud was led through a crowd in Gaza before she was transfered to Israeli forces.
Thousands of people pressed around a handover site in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, in front of the destroyed home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Palestinian prisoners to be released after Israeli delay
Palestinian prisoners and detainees are now expected to be released at around 5 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET), Hamas’ Prisoners Media Office has said, adding that it had established the timing after following up with mediators.
The release was delayed after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said the prisoners would not be freed “until the safe exit of our hostages is guaranteed in the next few days.”
Netanyahu had earlier criticized the handling of the release of three Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals, who were surrounded by crowds of fighters and onlookers before they were transferred to Israeli forces in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office later confirmed that mediators had delivered a “commitment that a safe exit will be guaranteed for our hostages who will be released in the next rounds.”
“Israel insists that lessons will be learned and that in the next rounds, there will be extra care in ensuring the safe return of our hostages,” it said in a statement.
One American hostage 'will be out on Saturday,' Trump's Mideast envoy tells NBC News
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, was mobbed by well-wishers in Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" as he made his way to talk to friends and family of both released captives and those still held in Gaza.
Asked by NBC News about the fate of the American hostages still being held in Gaza, he replied, "One will be out on Saturday."
He added that Trump was “determined to get all the hostages out.”