Hamas has released 3 Israeli hostages, with 369 Palestinian prisoners freed in return. The successful swap is an indication that the fragile ceasefire is set to hold.
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Three Israeli men held hostage by Hamas since October 2023 have been released in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel views the prisoners released as terrorists, while Palestinians often see them as freedom fighters resisting a decades-long Israeli military occupation.
Nevertheless, the successful swap is the latest indication that the fragile ceasefire was signed between the two sides last month, which teetered on the brink of collapse earlier in the week, is set to hold.
Hamas announced last Monday that it would delay the hostages' release after accusing Israel of not adhering to their agreement by not allowing in enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble, while Israel said it would resume fighting on Saturday unless hostages were freed.
The three Israelis being released are Iair Horn, 46, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29. All have dual citizenships.
Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan, who remains in Hamas' captivity.
The most well known of the freed Palestinian prisoners is Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide of militant leader and iconic Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti.
Among the Palestinian prisoners released, 36 had been sentenced to life for their involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. 12 of them were allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while the other 24 were sent to exile, according to the agreement. The remaining 333 had been detained from the Gaza Strip after the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas and during Israel's subsequent invasion of the enclave.
Nearly all the 73 remaining Israeli hostages are men, including soldiers. About half of them are believed to be dead.
The two sides have now carried out six exchanges since the ceasefire began on 19 January, with 24 hostages and over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners freed so far during the first phase of the truce.
The war could resume if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase, which calls for the return of all remaining hostages captured in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and an indefinite extension of the truce.