Hamas Releases Three More Israeli Hostages as Part of Ongoing Cease-Fire Deal
Hamas released three Israeli hostages as part of a cease-fire deal, marking the fifth exchange. The hostages include Ohad Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eli Sharabi, each with personal tragedies.
Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in a highly theatrical handover in which the men were made to give speeches effectively at gunpoint.
The hostage release is the fifth in a tense series of exchanges that are part of a 42-day cease-fire deal that went into effect last month pausing the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hamas agreed to incrementally release 33 of the nearly 100 remaining hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians jailed by Israel and a partial Israeli withdrawal.
Here's a closer look at the Israelis released on Saturday:
- Ohad Ben Ami
Mr. Ben Ami, who was 54 when he was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel, was the kibbutz's accountant and is an avid cyclist. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also taken hostage but was released in the first cease-fire deal in November 2023. Mr. Ben Ami is a dual Israeli and German citizen.
"The only important thing is for Ohad to come back," Raz Ben Ami told The New York Times in August, adding: "It's still hard for me to imagine our life after this." - Or Levy
Mr. Levy was 33 when he was taken hostage. His wife, Eynav Levy, died on Oct. 7. Their son, who was just two at the time, was with Ms. Levy's mother while his parents went to the Nova music festival, an event held just a few miles from the Gaza border that was a key target of the assault.
Mr. Levy texted his mother during the attack, including from a shelter that was stormed by the militants. The Israeli military later informed the family that Ms. Levy's body was found in the shelter and that Mr. Levy was being held in Gaza. - Eli Sharabi
Mr. Sharabi was also abducted from Be'eri, and his wife and their two daughters were killed in the attack.
His brother Yossi was also taken as a hostage to Gaza, where he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military later told his family.
His brother, Sharon, said in December that news of progress on a cease-fire deal had prompted "new hope among the families of hostages that they might see their loved ones again -- and at the same time, tension."
"We lost four people," he said. "We don't intend to fill a fifth coffin."
