Photo: Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP
The Palestinian group Hamas on Thursday handed over an Israeli hostage, 19-year-old soldier Agam Berger, to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of the third stage of a prisoner exchange, AFP reports.
Along with Berger, three Israelis and five Thai nationals are to be released on Thursday as part of the ceasefire agreement, sources said.
Hostage transfer: a symbolic scene
Agam Berger, dressed in a military uniform, was brought on stage in Jabalia (Gaza Strip) before being handed over to the Red Cross. A few hours later, the Israeli Defence Forces confirmed that she had returned to Israel and was undergoing a medical examination.
Earlier, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses were also among the released prisoners, along with five Thai citizens who had been held captive in Gaza.
New layoffs and tensions in negotiations
The exchange takes place in the Jabalia refugee camp and in the town of Khan Younis, where the day before the Islamic Jihad group released a video of the released Moses and Yehud hugging and smiling.
The family of Gadi Moses confirmed that they had received “great news” about his return. Meanwhile, negotiations continue on the fourth stage of the exchange, scheduled for the weekend.
However, Hamas accused Israel of delaying humanitarian supplies, which, according to the group, could jeopardise further exchanges. “These materials were supposed to arrive in the first week of the truce,” a Hamas spokesman said.
The Israeli side rejected the allegations, calling them “fake news”. According to COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry’s body that monitors humanitarian supplies, 3,000 trucks entered the Gaza Strip from Sunday to Wednesday, although the agreement was supposed to be 4,200 for the week.
The fate of hostages and the future of the ceasefire
The ceasefire, which has been in place for 42 days, provides for the release of 33 Israeli hostages. In the next rounds, the parties are to discuss a long-term cessation of hostilities.
Under the terms of the agreement, the final phase of the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of the bodies of the dead hostages should begin.
