Fri Feb 07 17:53:50 UTC 2025: ## Hamas Releases Three Israeli Hostages in Gaza Ceasefire Deal
**Gaza City, February 8, 2025** – Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of a continuing prisoner exchange with Israel, furthering a fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement. The released hostages are Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami. In return, Israel freed 183 prisoners, 111 of whom were detained following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
This marks the fifth prisoner swap under the ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The agreement aims to secure the release of 33 hostages in its first phase. To date, Palestinian militants have freed 18 hostages for approximately 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Following the exchange, an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha for further negotiations on the ceasefire. This comes amidst significant international controversy surrounding a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump for a U.S. takeover of Gaza. While Trump initially proposed relocating Gaza’s Palestinian population and placing the region under U.S. control, he later stated there was “absolutely no rush” to implement the plan.
The plan has sparked widespread international condemnation, with Hamas explicitly rejecting it as “absolutely unacceptable” and Egypt warning that Israeli support for the proposal would undermine the ceasefire negotiations. Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, had previously ordered the military to prepare for the “voluntary” relocation of Gazans.
Despite the controversy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for Trump’s proposal, calling it “the first original idea to be raised in years.” However, Netanyahu remains focused on completing the ceasefire agreement, stating his hope to achieve its more complex second phase. Meanwhile, a freed Israeli hostage, Yarden Bibas, has publicly appealed to Netanyahu to secure the return of his wife and children still held in Gaza. Hamas previously claimed the wife and children were dead, a claim Israel has yet to confirm.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 47,583 deaths in Gaza, primarily civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures considered reliable by the United Nations. The situation remains tense, with the future of Gaza and the long-term resolution of the conflict remaining uncertain.
First Piper 