Israel receives 3 hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza ceasefire

Hamas-led militants released three more hostages, all Israeli civilian men, to the Red Cross on Saturday, and Israel was to free dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel confirmed that its forces received three Israeli hostages. They will be taken for medical treatment and to be reunited with their relatives after 16 months in captivity.

U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, welcomed by Israel but vehemently rejected by the Palestinians and most of the international community, does not appear to have affected the current phase of the truce, which runs until early March.

The three hostages — Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34 — appeared very gaunt and pale as armed Hamas fighters led them from a white van onto a stage set up in the town of Deir al-Balah.

All were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.