NUSEIRAT: Hamas has handed over three more Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in the latest exchange under the fragile ceasefire.
The three Israeli men in their 20s — Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, and Eliya Cohen — were brought out by masked, armed Hamas fighters to pose on a stage before hundreds of Palestinians in the central town of Nuseirat. They were dressed in fake army uniforms, though they were not soldiers when they were kidnapped. Shem Tov and Wenkert smiled and waved at the crowd.
Watching the release, Cohen’s family and friends in Israel chanted “Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!” and cheered when they saw him for the first time. Shem Tov’s grandmother ululated in joy, shrieking, “Omer, my joy! My life!” as she saw him.
The three were put in Red Cross vehicles that then headed for Israel.
Earlier in the day, two other hostages were freed in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. A sixth hostage, 36-year-old Hesham al-Sayed, is also due to be released Saturday.
Cohen, Shem Tov and Wenkert were abducted by Hamas fighters at the Nova music festival when militants stormed into southern Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 in the attack that triggered the nearly 16-month Israeli campaign in Gaza.
