Hamas is freeing three more Israeli captives and five Thai captives on Thursday, the third such release since a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold earlier this January. Hamas handed female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, 20, to the Red Cross at a ceremony in the heavily destroyed urban refugee camp of Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The Israeli government later confirmed that Berger was handed to its forces. Another ceremony was planned in the southern city of Khan Younis to hand the other two captives in front of the destroyed home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Hundreds of people have attended both ceremonies, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters and onlookers. Saraya Al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad group, has completed the procedures for handing over Yehoud and Moses, who are planned to be released shortly from Khan Younis, according to Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army Radio reported that the Islamic Jihad is trying to exploit the release of the two captives to demonstrate its strength in Khan Younis. Israel's Channel 13 stated that Tel Aviv was officially notified that Moses and Yehoud would be released from Gaza before pm local time.
Israel said Yehoud was supposed to have been freed Saturday, so it delayed the opening of crossings to northern Gaza when she was not. The United States, Egypt, and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved the dispute with an agreement that Yehoud would be released Thursday.
Another three men captives are set to be freed Saturday, along with dozens more Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli Prison Service announced that Palestinian prisoners would be transferred from Ofer Prison to the release point in the West Bank, while the rest would be sent to the Karm Abu Salem crossing. The Israeli authorities are also expected to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the three Israeli captives.
