Three Israeli hostages and dozens of Palestinian prisoners released

Saturday's handover was less chaotic than the exchange a few days ago, after concerns were expressed over safety.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-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 LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersThree Israeli hostages and dozens of Palestinian prisoners released23 hours agoAleks PhillipsBBC NewsReporting fromLondonAlice CuddyInternational reporterReporting fromTel AvivWatch: Three more Israeli hostages released by HamasThree Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza were released from captivity on Saturday, in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Yarden Bibas, 34, Ofer Kalderon, 53, and Keith Siegel, 65, were handed over to the Red Cross - the latest hostages to be released as part of a ceasefire deal struck last month.

Palestinian prisoners were taken in buses to Gaza and the West Bank, many of them coming from the nearby Ofer prison.

The tone of the exchange sat in stark contrast to Thursday's chaotic handover, during which surging crowds pressed in on hostages, eliciting concern for their safety and prompting Israel to delay that day's release of Palestinian prisoners.

Saturday's release was more orderly, but retained the presentational elements that sought to project that Hamas remains the governing force in Gaza.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce85enjjlzro

---