The Japan Times - Hamas, Israel complete fifth hostage-prisoner swap under Gaza deal

Out of the 183 inmates released by Israel in return, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group said seven required hospitalisation, decrying "brutality" and mistreatment in jail.

The fifth exchange since the truce took effect last month comes as negotiations are set to begin on the next phase of the ceasefire, which should pave the way for a permanent end to the war.

Saturday's swap also follows remarks by President Donald Trump suggesting the United States should take over the Gaza Strip and clear out its inhabitants, sparking global outrage.

Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were all seized by militants during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, "crossed the border into Israeli territory" on Saturday, the Israeli military said.

With their return, 73 out of 251 hostages taken during the attack now remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Jubilant crowds in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv cheered as they watched live footage of the three hostages, flanked by masked gunmen, brought on stage in Deir el-Balah before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

But the joy at their release was quickly overtaken by concern for their condition, with all three appearing thin and pale.

Sharabi's cousin Yochi Sardinayof said "he doesn't look well".

"I'm sure he will now receive the right treatment and he will get stronger... He has an amazing family, and we will all be there for him."

- 'Cruel spectacle' -

The choreographed handover included forced statements from the three on stage, in which they stated support for finalising the next phases of the Israel-Hamas truce.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose dejected-looking portrait appeared on a banner at the Deir el-Balah handover site, said the images out of Gaza were "shocking".

Israel's President Isaac Herzog denounced the treatment of the hostages, who were paraded on stage "after 491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained" and "exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle".

Sharabi, 52, and Ben Ami, a 56-year-old dual German citizen, were both abducted from their homes in kibbutz Beeri when militants stormed the small community near the Gaza border.

Sharabi lost his wife and two daughters in the attack.

Levy was abducted from the Nova music festival, where gunmen murdered his wife.

- 'Slow killing' -

In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority, relatives and supporters gathered to welcome inmates released by Israel, embracing them and cheering as they stepped off the bus that brought them from nearby Ofer prison.

Israel's prison service said that "183 terrorists... were released" to the West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and Gaza.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group and the Palestinian Red Crescent said that seven of them had been admitted to hospital in the West Bank.

"All the prisoners who were released today are in need of medical care... as a result of the brutality they were subjected" to in jail, said the advocacy group, which has long decried abuses of Palestinians in Israeli custody.

Hamas in a statement accused Israel of "systematic assaults and mistreatment of our prisoners", calling it "part of the policy of... the slow killing of prisoners".

Five Thai hostages freed last week from Gaza were discharged on Saturday from a hospital in central Israel, where they had been treated since their release, and were headed back to their home country.

- Talks in Doha -

The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, aims to secure the release of 12 more hostages during its first 42-day phase.

Negotiations on the second stage of the ceasefire were set to begin on Monday, but there have been no details on the status of the talks.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government on Friday to stick with the truce, even as Trump's comments raised questions about the future of the deal.

"An entire nation demands to see the hostages return home," the Israeli campaign group said in a statement.

"Now is the time to ensure the agreement is completed -- until the very last one," it added.

Netanyahu's office said that after Saturday's swap, an Israeli delegation would head to Doha for further talks.

Hama's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliation has killed at least 48,181 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

M.Fujitav--JT