Hamas militants in Gaza released several Israeli hostages in a carefully staged ceremony on Saturday, showcasing their military strength while marking the captives’ return. The handover, mediated by the Red Cross, took place in two locations Rafah and Nuseirat where militants, dressed in fatigues and armed with rifles, controlled the proceedings.
Among those freed were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, who appeared weak as they were escorted to Red Cross vehicles in Rafah. They were handed certificates in Hebrew acknowledging the end of their captivity, a practice observed in previous hostage releases. Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, surrounded the area, controlling onlookers while displaying weapons.
Later in Nuseirat, three more hostages Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert were brought onto a stage before a large crowd. Smiling and waving, they stood alongside Hamas fighters as a drone and photographers captured the moment. Shem Tov, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, blew kisses to the crowd and embraced two of his captors.
Israel’s military later confirmed receiving a sixth hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, who had been held in Gaza for a decade.
The hostage releases were accompanied by Hamas’s show of force. In Rafah, militants flaunted assault rifles and rocket launchers, while Hamas’s green flag flew over war-ravaged buildings. In Nuseirat, a table draped in camouflage held US-made rifles reportedly seized from Israeli soldiers. A banner behind it read: “We are the flood. We are the extreme strength,” referencing Hamas’s October 7 attack that ignited the ongoing war.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s presence was symbolically invoked through a verse from a 1926 anti-colonial poem, which he had quoted during the conflict. Meanwhile, the group issued a stark warning to Israel, stating that hostages would either “return in coffins” or be released under Palestinian resistance conditions.
Currently, 62 hostages taken during the October 7 attack remain in Gaza, with the Israeli military confirming that at least 35 are presumed dead.
