Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday, and their frail, malnourished appearance left Israel stunned, the freed hostages—Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy—were taken during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and were paraded in a Hamas-controlled event before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Their condition, visibly worse than previous hostages released, raised serious concerns about their treatment in captivity.
One witness described their appearance as horrifying. “He looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see,” said Michal Cohen, mother-in-law to Ohad Ben Ami, in a statement to Channel 13 News. The release was not just a humanitarian act but a staged performance by Hamas, complete with masked militants and armed fighters, a reminder of who still controls the narrative in Gaza.
Israel Releases Palestinian Prisoners, But At What Cost?
In exchange for the three hostages, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners. Among them were individuals convicted of deadly attacks that claimed numerous Israeli lives, as well as detainees captured during the war. The reaction on both sides was extreme Palestinians celebrated their return with joyous crowds in Gaza and the West Bank, while Israelis questioned why their government was giving in to such demands.
One of the freed prisoners, Eyad Abu Shkaidem, was sentenced to 18 life terms for orchestrating suicide bombings in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Hamas leaders in 2004. His release, along with others, only fueled tensions. “Today, I am reborn,” he declared, as crowds cheered him.
Some of the released prisoners were reportedly in poor health, with six taken straight to hospitals. Meanwhile, others spoke of the alleged mistreatment they suffered in Israeli detention. “The occupation humiliated us for over a year,” one prisoner said, reinforcing the deep-seated animosity that continues to drive the conflict.
A War That Refuses to End
Despite the latest ceasefire agreement, the war in Gaza remains far from over. The first phase of the truce, which started on January 19 and was brokered by Washington, Cairo, and Doha, has largely held, but negotiations for the next stage are already proving difficult. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a delegation to Doha for talks, while concerns are rising that the deal could collapse before the remaining 76 hostages are released.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and turn the strip into a “Riviera of the Middle East” has been widely condemned. Arab nations and Palestinian factions have outright rejected the plan, calling it an attempt at ethnic cleansing. Hamas, in response, made sure to showcase its armed presence during the hostage handover, sending a clear message that it will not be sidelined in any post-war discussions.
While Israel remains focused on securing the release of all remaining hostages, the numbers paint a bad picture of the war’s cost. Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in the October 7 attack. In response, Israel launched an offensive that has resulted in over 47,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health officials. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and the humanitarian crisis deepens by the day.
Neither side is backing down, and every “peace deal” seems to set the stage for the next chapter of destruction.
