Live Update arrow right icon From the Liveblog of Saturday, February 22, 2025

Hamas sets up stages in south, central Gaza ahead of expected handover of 6 living hostages

By Emanuel Fabian 22 February 2025, 7:44 am
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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Top row, from left: Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Eliya Cohen. Bottom row, from left: Avera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed, Omer Wenkert (Courtesy)
Top row, from left: Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Eliya Cohen. Bottom row, from left: Avera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed, Omer Wenkert (Courtesy)

The Hamas terror group has set up stages in southern Gaza’s Rafah and in the Nuseirat area in the Strip’s center for the handover today of six Israeli hostages.

As has been the case with previous hostage releases, the stages are plastered with propaganda posters.

Hamas is releasing hostages Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed this morning.

According to Hamas’s past statements, the six are the last of those to be returned under the first phase who are alive.

Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been captive in Gaza for over a decade, after entering the Strip of their own accord. The others were abducted on October 7, 2023.

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