Israeli PM denounces “shocking” images of refugee release
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it would not “gloss over shocking images seen today,” after three Israeli prisoners of Hamas were released. Netanyahu called the treatment of the hostages a “crime against humanity.”
“The shocking images that we have seen today will not go unaddressed,” the office said in a statement.
The remarks come after Hamas militants brought the three pale-looking hostages onto a stage, where they were made to speak in a carefully orchestrated release ceremony surrounded by armed militants, prior to being handed over to the Red Cross vans.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, said the hostages spent “491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained” and were “being exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4qChl
February 8, 2025
In pictures: Hamas hands over three Israeli hostages to Red Cross
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCdB
Hamas hands over 3 Israeli hostages to the Red Cross
Three Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released from captivity on Saturday.
Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34, were handed over to the Red Cross—the latest hostages to be released as part of a ceasefire deal struck last month.
They will be taken to Israel and undergo medical checkups before being reunited with their families.
In exchange, Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of
people and including 18 serving life sentences and 111 detained in Gaza during the war, according to Hamas.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCW9
What Trump’s ‘Gaza takeover’ plan means for the ceasefire
The hostage-for-prisoner exchange, comes against the backdrop of uncertainty over the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Despite initial challenges the deal has held firm since its implementation nearly three weeks ago.
However, there are fresh concerns how long it might last following US President Donald Trump’s unexpected proposal to relocate
Palestinians from Gaza and transform the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East” under US administration.
Arab states and Palestinian groups have unanimously rejected Trump’s proposal, while Israel welcomed it.
Read more: Could Trump’s proposal plan bring peace?
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCTc
Hamas to free three Israeli men in latest swap
Hamas is expected to release three more Israeli hostages on Saturday, Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, in exchange for 183 Palestinians held by Israel.
Ami and Sharabi were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas cross-border attacks on October 7, 2023, and Levy, was abducted from the Nova music festival the same day
It will be the fifth such exchange since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began on January 19.
Eighteen hostages and more than 550 Palestinians have been freed in that time.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCCU
Trump administration approves arms sales to Israel
The US government has approved $7.4 billion (€7.6 billion) in military sales to Israel on Friday despite a request from Democratic lawmakers to pause the sale for more information.
One sale, for $6.75 billion, is an array of munitions, guidance kits and other related equipment. The other arms package is for 3,000 Hellfire missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $660 million.
The announcement comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, who serves on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced the sales. He said the decision broke with a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales and said it showed a lack of respect for the Congress.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCF5
Welcome to our coverage
This blog will have all the latest developments in the Middle East region. DW also will bring you an in-depth analysis and video of events happening in the region.
Hamas is set to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinians held by Israel.
It is the fifth exchange in the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The release comes amid the backlash over US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States will take over “take over” and “own” Gaza, resettling its population in the process.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qCCM
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