Hamas hands over 6 Israelis to Red Cross in Rafah, Nuseirat, Gaza City

ANKARA (AA) – Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, handed over on Saturday six Israelis to the Red Cross in three locations in Gaza as part of the seventh exchange under the Jan. 19 ceasefire deal.

Two captives were released in Rafah, southern Gaza: Tal Shoham, an operative in the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and Avera Mengistu, who was captured in 2014 when he entered Gaza.

Later, Hamas released three more Israeli captives – Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert – in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip.

The sixth, Hisham Al-Sayed, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, who was captured by Hamas in 2014, was released later without a formal ceremony.

Representatives of the Red Cross signed an official transfer protocol with the Al-Qassam Brigades, ensuring the safe delivery of the captives.

The Israeli army, in a statement, confirmed receiving the captives.

The ceasefire deal took effect last month, pausing Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,000 people, mostly women and children.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.