Sat Feb 22 09:47:56 UTC 2025: ## Hamas Completes First Phase of Prisoner Exchange with Israel
**Gaza City, Palestine –** Hamas concluded the first phase of a prisoner exchange with Israel on Saturday, handing over the final six Israeli captives held in Gaza. The release, part of a broader ceasefire agreement reached on January 19th, paves the way for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
While the initial handover of two captives, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, was marked by a public ceremony in Rafah, the subsequent releases, including that of Hisham al-Sayed, the sixth and final captive, were carried out with less fanfare in Nuseirat. Although initially planned to include four captives in Nuseirat, only three—Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert and Omer Shem Tov—were released there along with al-Sayed, with no official explanation given for the change in plans. Security was tight, with Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, maintaining order at the handover locations.
The release of the six Israeli captives follows a period of tension caused by the misidentification of a body initially released as that of Shiri Bibas, one of the hostages taken during the October 7th attacks. Hamas subsequently corrected the error and returned Ms. Bibas’s body on Friday.
Later on Saturday, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners, including 445 captured during the recent conflict and dozens serving lengthy sentences. Analysts have suggested that the more subdued nature of some of the releases allowed Hamas to focus on the exchange itself rather than the associated spectacle. The agreement marks a significant step in the fragile ceasefire, though the situation remains tense.
First Piper 