Freed Israelis thank Hamas after release from Gaza

JERUSALEM/ANKARA (AA) – Three freed Israeli captives hailed Hamas after their release under a cease-fire deal on Saturday.

Ohad Ben Ami, Eliyahu Sharabi, and Or Levy were set free by Hamas in Deir al-Balah in exchange for 183 prisoners in Israeli jails.

“I say to the families of the captives, go out and demonstrate and ask the Israeli government to move to the second and third stages of the deal,” Ben Ami, 56, said.

“The only way to bring all captives home from Gaza is through completing the exchange agreement,” he added.

Expressing a wish for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace, Ben Ami called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the war.

“You failed on October 7, you failed to free us through military pressure, and now I’m released through a deal,” he said.

“The government must continue to phase two and three of the agreement and also release all Palestinian prisoners so they can return home safely.”

The freed Israeli captive said that he was provided with food, water and medicine by Hamas during the 15-month Israeli war on Gaza.

“Thanks to them, I’m alive today. I say a huge thank you.”

– ‘I am angry at Israeli government’

“I’m very angry at the Israeli government – a government of failure. They failed on October 7, and they failed to protect the captives,” said Sharabi, who lost his brother Yossi in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.

He called for continuing the Gaza exchange deal to put an end to what he called a “horrific war.”

“I’m overjoyed to return to my family and friends today. I hope all my fellow captives still in Gaza return home soon. The Israeli government must keep negotiating… I also thank the Qassam Brigades for keeping me safe,” he said, referring to Hamas’ armed wing.

Levy, 34, the only one among the three still in the reserve service age, wore his Israeli military uniform during the handover ceremony.

“I thank the Qassam Brigades for taking care of me when I was injured. They gave me food, water, and medicine. They looked after me, and I’m alive because of them,” Levy said.

He admitted that Israel’s military approach did not help free the captives.

“I’m being released through a deal, not through military pressure. I hope negotiations continue and that this war comes to an end.”

Sixteen Israeli captives and five Thai workers have so far been released under the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Many of the Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli captivity appeared in poor health conditions, with many exhibiting significant weight loss.

The Gaza cease-fire agreement took effect on January 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which killed nearly 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.