Hamas releases more hostages in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of ceasefire deal

Hamas freed 2 hostages connected Saturday successful speech for much than 600 Palestinian prisoners arsenic portion of the fragile ceasefire statement with Israel.

The men were identified arsenic Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39. Video footage showed the 2 men looking frail and frightened arsenic they were taken to a signifier successful beforehand of a assemblage portion flanked by masked gunmen. They were handed implicit to the Red Cross and were connected their mode to IDF forces. 

An further 4 hostages – Omer Wenkert, 23; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Hisham Al-Sayed, 36; and Eliya Cohen, 27 – were expected to besides beryllium released aboriginal Saturday. 

Two of the hostages — Mengistu and Al-Sayed — are civilians who person been held since entering Gaza connected their ain much than a decennary ago, agelong earlier the warfare sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught against Israel, which prompted subject retaliation from Israeli forces.

This comes arsenic the delicate ceasefire woody reached a period agone remains successful spot contempt caller revelations that hostage Shiri Bibas' assemblage was not initially returned to Israel arsenic promised by Hamas.

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS' BROKEN PROMISE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would "pay the afloat price" for allegedly handing implicit the assemblage of a Palestinian pistillate from Gaza alternatively of the assemblage of the Israeli hostage. The hostage's sons — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — on with Oded Lifshitz were returned by Hamas connected Thursday arsenic expected.

Late Friday, Hamas said it handed implicit Shiri Bibas’ assemblage to the Red Cross, which confirmed it had received quality remains inside Gaza and transferred them to Israeli authorities. Bibas' household confirmed her individuality aboriginal Saturday. 

TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS

Hamas said it "has nary involvement successful withholding immoderate bodies successful its possession." The panic radical said the dormant hostages handed implicit connected Thursday had been killed by an Israeli airstrike successful November 2023 and that the bodies could person been misidentified owed to bombardments successful the area.

The panic radical besides killed Ariel and Kfir Bibas "with their bare hands," according to the Israeli military, which did not connection grounds to enactment the claim.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari alleged that forensic investigation of the Bibas boys’ bodies showed that Hamas "did not sprout the boys," but "killed them with their bare hands" and past "committed horrific acts to screen up these atrocities." Hagari said Lifshitz was killed by captors wrong Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.