Hamas delivers 3 hostages, Israel to free 183 prisoners

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Hamas released two Israeli detainees, one of whom holds US citizenship, as Israel and Hamas carried out the fourth round of prisoner-hostage exchange.

The hostages handed over are Yarden Bibas, Ofer Calderon, and the American-Israeli hostage Keith Samuel Siegel.

Meanwhile, armed and masked fighters from Al-Qassam Brigades were seen patrolling the streets of southern Gaza, a scene reminiscent of previous prisoner handovers.

So far, 18 out of the 33 hostages slated for release in the first phase of the ceasefire deal have been freed in exchange for 400 Palestinian prisoners.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Israel is set to release 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 prisoners serving life sentences, 54 with long-term sentences, and 111 detainees from Gaza, arrested after October 7, 2023.

Initially, the club had stated that Israel planned to release only 90 Palestinian detainees.

On the other side, Palestinian sources reported that buses carrying a number of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails as part of the fourth exchange batch have arrived in Beitunia near Ramallah in the West Bank.

In addition, patients and wounded individuals scheduled to travel today have begun leaving hospitals in buses and ambulances heading toward the Rafah crossing, as part of the ceasefire agreement. The agreement permits the departure of 50 patients and wounded individuals today, each accompanied by three people, according to Al Jazeera.

Notably, on January 19, a significant shift in the Israel-Hamas conflict took place as a ceasefire went into effect after a brief delay caused by Israeli demands for a list of hostages to be released by Hamas.