Third round of Gaza hostage releases underway; 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed

Crowds gather as two more hostages expected to be released in southern Gaza

Crowds of people are gathered at Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where two additional Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

People are waving green flags amid a background of destroyed buildings.

Four armed factions have said they are participating in the handover operation:

• Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades
• Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
• Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees group
• Al-Mujahideen Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement

Berger is the last female Israeli soldier to be released from Gaza

Agam Berger is the last of the seven female soldiers who were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023 to be returned to Israel.

One of the seven soldiers, Ori Megidish, was rescued by the IDF on October 30, 2023. Another soldier, Noa Marciano, 19, was killed in Gaza and her body was recovered by the Israeli military on November 17, 2023.

The other five female soldiers were not released as part of the short-lived 2023 ceasefire deal, despite the agreement calling for the release of all women and children held captive. Hamas said they would not release them because of their status as active duty soldiers.

Four of the five women - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were freed last Saturday, as part of the second round of hostage releases.

Videos of the women’s kidnapping became symbolic of the brutality of the October 7 attacks.

One piece of footage showed the young women lined up against a wall wearing their pajamas, their hands bound, their bodies bruised and bloodied. The video was released by the women’s families in May to put pressure on the Israeli government to secure a deal to have them freed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted at that time that it had failed to defend its personnel at the Nahal Oz base.

Israeli military says freed hostage Agam Berger is now in their custody

The Israeli military has confirmed that Agam Berger, who was released by Hamas in Gaza at about 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Thursday, “is currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on her return to Israeli territory, where she will undergo an initial medical assessment.”

Who is Agam Berger, the latest hostage released by Hamas?

Agam Berger was just 19 when she was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023. Her family said she arrived to the outpost to serve as a “spotter” just two days prior to her abduction.

Berger is from Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. She has three siblings - a twin sister and two younger brothers. Her family said she has played the violin since the age of eight and has in the past volunteered with at-risk youth.

She turned 20 while in captivity.

Hamas hands over Israeli soldier to Red Cross in Gaza

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier who was abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, has been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, video of the handover showed.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that one hostage had been handed to the ICRC.

Berger, who was held by Hamas, is the first of eight hostages due to be released Thursday. She was led from a building to a stage before being handed over to the ICRC.

Two Red Cross officials were seen speaking with a masked Hamas fighter shortly before the handover.

Two other Israeli hostages - Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses - scheduled to be released on Thursday, are held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which published a video of them early Thursday meeting and embracing.

Five Thai nationals abducted on October 7 are also due to be released. Israeli is also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday.

The hostages are due to be taken to different hospitals in Israel.

More on the three Israeli hostages due for release

Arbel Yehoud was kidnapped from her home in the Nir Oz kibbutz, along with her partner Ariel Cunio, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said on Wednesday.

Gadi Moses, a grandfather and keen agronomist, also was taken from Nir Oz.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities targeted by Hamas in the attacks of October 7, 2023, with more than a quarter of its population of 400 being either killed or kidnapped.

Osnat Peri, the chairwoman of Kibbutz Nir Oz, described the news of the releases as “an exciting moment for us, and another step on the long road to bringing all our loved ones home.”

Moses’ family said Wednesday they had “received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi’s return to us tomorrow,” thanking “the people of Israel for their embrace and support.”

The third Israeli hostage to be returned Thursday, Agam Berger, was a soldier abducted from a military base beside the Nahal Oz kibbutz.

Israeli ban on UN Palestinian aid agency comes into effect, could be devastating for millions

An Israeli ban on the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) comes into effect today as Israel warns that it will “cease all cooperation” with the aid organization.

“UNRWA must halt its activities and vacate all its facilities in Jerusalem,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told UN Security Council members on Tuesday.

In late October, the Israeli parliament approved two bills, one barring UNRWA from operations within Israel, and another prohibiting Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA. The agency is a critical lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The vote was swiftly criticized by UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini, who said it violated international law and was “the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role toward providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees.”

The ban came after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. UNRWA has long maintained that Israel has not provided it with evidence against its former employees. The agency says it had regularly provided Israel with a full list of its staff members and has accused Israel of detaining and torturing some of its staffers, coercing them into making false confessions about ties to Hamas. A UN investigation found that nine of the agency’s employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack, and no longer work there.

Some context: The agency, which began by assisting about 750,000 Palestinian refugees in 1950, now serves some 5.9 million across the Middle East, many of whom live in refugee camps – now cities within cities – in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

In the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by a devastating Israeli war for more than a year, UNRWA serves some 1.7 million Palestinian refugees. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it assists around 871,500 refugees.

Israel says three Israeli and five Thai hostages to be released in Gaza Thursday

The three Israeli hostages due to be released in Gaza on Thursday were earlier named by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which also confirmed that five Thai nationals will be freed.

“The list of names received from Hamas today by the mediators Qatar and Egypt includes: Arbel Yehoud (29 years old), Agam Berger (19) and Gadi Moses (80),” the PMO said.

The names of the five Thai citizens to be freed have not been made public.

Israeli authorities are also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday. Of those, 32 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another 30 are children, according to Hamas.

-CNN