Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas released on Saturday a seventh group of six Israeli captives as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement
The two captives — Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu — were put into Red Cross vehicles after being brought out onto a stage by al-Qassam fighters in the presence of a crowd of civilians in Rafah, south of Gaza. Soon after, the Israeli military confirmed that the two had been brought into Israel.
A few hours later, Red Cross representatives received three Israeli captives during a similar handover parade in the central town of Nuseirat. They are Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert.
The sixth Israeli captive, Hisham al-Sayed, was handed over without any ceremony in Gaza City.
Sayed is a 37-year-old Bedouin Israeli soldier, who entered the Gaza Strip in April 2015 and was captured by Al-Qassam Brigades.
In exchange, the Israeli occupation authority is expected to release later today 602 Palestinian prisoners, including 50 with life sentences and 47 who were rejailed after their release as part of the 2011 prisoner exchange deal.
108 of those being released by the occupation will be immediately banished from the occupied Palestinian territories, unable to return to their homes. Among them is Nael al-Barghouthi, the longest-serving political prisoner in Palestine and the world, who spent nearly 45 years behind bars.
Many of the Palestinian prisoners released in recent weeks bore marks of torture and abuse and reported they were beaten and mistreated until the last moments before their release.
