Six Israeli hostages freed ahead of Palestinian prisoner release

The six are the final living hostages to be freed as part of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersSix Israeli hostages freed ahead of Palestinian prisoner release48 minutes agoDearbail JordanBBC NewsReutersTal Shoham is released after being kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October, 2023Hamas has released six more hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisoners to be freed later on Saturday.

The released hostages included four kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel - Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert.

The two other men freed, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, have been held in Gaza for years - Mr Mengistu since 2014 and Mr al-Sayed since 2015.

The six are the final hostages still alive to be returned as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal set to end next Saturday. Israel and Hamas have yet to agree the terms of a second phase.

Later on Saturday, 602 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released, the majority of whom were detained after the 7 October 2023 attack.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjry4nqw4z0o

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