• Metascholar News Portal
• International News
• February 22, 2025
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• 5 minutes Read

Hamas to Free Six Captives in Gaza After Bibas Mother’s Remains Are Recovered

Avera Mengistu, who crossed into Gaza nearly ten years ago and has been detained there since, along with Tal Shoham, a hostage captured in Gaza during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack, have been freed as part of a ceasefire and a hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in Rafah, located in southern Gaza, on February 22, 2025. Hamas released two hostages and planned to free four more from Gaza on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. This came after Israel confirmed that a body handed over earlier that day belonged to hostage Shiri Bibas. Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39, were transferred to the Red Cross in Rafah, southern Gaza, after being escorted onto a stage by armed Hamas militants. The release of four additional hostages was expected to take place soon after in central Gaza. The six hostages set to be freed on Saturday are the final living captives from a group of 33 scheduled for release in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19. Four of the hostages Shoham, Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23 were taken by Hamas militants during their assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. Shoham was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri, along with his wife and two children, who were released during a brief truce in November 2023. The other three were seized from the nearby Nova music festival. Two others, Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, and Mengistu, have been detained by Hamas since they voluntarily entered Gaza about a decade ago. Hundreds of Israelis gathered in the rain at what is now known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, cheering as they watched the release unfold on a large screen. Further south, crowds lined the roads near the Gaza border, waiting to welcome the convoy transporting the freed captives. The Hamas-led releases have involved public ceremonies where captives are taken on stage, with some required to speak. These events have drawn growing criticism, including from the United Nations, which condemned the “parading of hostages.” Hamas dismissed the criticism on Saturday, framing the ceremonies as a solemn display of Palestinian unity. In exchange for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from its custody as part of the latest phase of the ceasefire agreement. Among them are 445 Gazans arrested by Israeli forces during the war, along with numerous convicts serving…