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By Martha McHardy and Yevgeny Kuklychev
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Israel has published what the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described as "shocking" images following the release of three hostages held by Hamas.
Why It Matters
Three hostages held in Gaza by Hamas since the October 7, 2023, attacks were released on Saturday after over a year in captivity.
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They were released as part of the temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that started on January 19, which was designed to pause hostilities in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
Israel is set to release the 183 Palestinian prisoners later on Saturday.
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What To Know
Three hostages held in Gaza by Hamas since the October 7 attacks, Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were released on Saturday after over a year in captivity.
Sharabi was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri along with his brother Yossi, whose death was later confirmed. His wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, Ben Ami, also taken from Kibbutz Be'eri, was abducted with his wife Raz, who was later released. Described as having "good judgment and a sense of humor," he worked as an accountant, according to the Hostages Families Forum. Or Levy, a computer programmer from Rishon LeZion, was kidnapped after fleeing the Nova festival with his wife Eynav. Her body was later found in a bomb shelter where they had been hiding.
As they were released on Saturday, they were paraded in front of dozens of masked and armed Hamas fighters, as well as a small crowd of onlookers.
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They were also made to pose holding certificates and speak in an apparently staged interview by Hamas militants, where they reportedly called for Israel to stop the war and stick to the ceasefire.
Photos of the event were released later in which all three men are visibly thin and frail.
Responding to the images, Netanyahu said: "We will not gloss over the shocking scenes that we saw today."
"The government, together with security officials, will support them and their families. Israel is committed to bringing back all the hostages and missing," the PMO statement added.
The men were handed over to the Red Cross and taken by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) back to Israel, where they will undergo a medical assessment.
It was the fifth round of exchanges between Israel and Hamas since a ceasefire deal was struck last month.
So far, 21 hostages and 383 prisoners have been freed since the ceasefire began. Following the release of the three hostages on Saturday, Hamas and its allies still hold a total of 73 people taken from Israel on October 7, of 251 initially taken. Three additional hostages, held captive since 2014, are still in Gaza.
The ceasefire came over a year after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel then launched an offensive on Gaza, which has killed at least 47,500 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The UN reports that about two-thirds of Gaza's buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes.
What People Are Saying
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that "the disturbing images" of the release "serve as yet another stark and painful evidence that leaves no room for doubt—there is no time to waste for the hostages! We must get them all out, down to the very last hostage."
Sharabi's brother-in-law, Steve Brisley, told Sky News: "You could see how skinny he is, how pale he is. You wonder how much daylight he's seen—very gaunt face.
"I think what struck me the most is that Eli has a very happy face, he smiles with his whole face and smiles with his eyes and it was the lack of light in his eyes that I think is one of the most distressing parts of it."
Brisley added: "You don't know what the last 491 days have done to him, but it's clearly had an incredible impact on him, and it was written all over his face."
What Happens Next
In total, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are due to be freed by the end of the first stage of the ceasefire in three weeks. Israel says eight of the 33 are dead.
Update 2/8/25, 7:04 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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