Hamas Frees 6 Hostages but Questions Cloud Gaza Ceasefire’s Future

Israeli hostages Averu Mengistu (4th-R) and Tal Shoham (4th-L) are flanked by Hamas fighters as they stand on a stage during their release in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli hostages Averu Mengistu (4th-R) and Tal Shoham (4th-L) are flanked by Hamas fighters as they stand on a stage during their release in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Hamas Frees 6 Hostages but Questions Cloud Gaza Ceasefire’s Future

Israeli hostages Averu Mengistu (4th-R) and Tal Shoham (4th-L) are flanked by Hamas fighters as they stand on a stage during their release in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli hostages Averu Mengistu (4th-R) and Tal Shoham (4th-L) are flanked by Hamas fighters as they stand on a stage during their release in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Hamas on Saturday released the last six living hostages expected under the first phase of its ceasefire with Israel with a week remaining, as growing questions over the next phase clouded the fragile deal 's future.

The hostages included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel when Hamas-led fighters stormed the border in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered Israel’s 16-month military campaign in Gaza. The two other hostages were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own.

Five were handed over in staged ceremonies that the Red Cross and Israel have condemned as cruel and disrespectful, escorted by masked, armed Hamas fighters in front of hundreds of Palestinians.

Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were posed alongside Hamas fighters. A beaming Shem Tov kissed two gunmen on the head and blew kisses to the crowd.

Cohen’s family and friends in Israel chanted "Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!" and cheered.

"You’re heroes," Shem Tov told his parents as they later embraced, laughing and crying. "You have no idea how much I dreamt of you."

Earlier Saturday, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues.

Later, Israel's military said Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released. The Bedouin Israeli entered Gaza in 2015. His family has told Israeli media he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The release of over 600 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel — the largest one-day prisoner release in the ceasefire’s first phase — was delayed, apparently for Israeli security consultations on Saturday evening.

The hostage release followed a heartrending dispute sparked when Hamas on Thursday handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother abducted with her two young boys. The remains were determined to be those of a Palestinian woman. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge for "a cruel and malicious violation," while Hamas suggested it was a mistake.

On Friday, the small militant group believed to have been holding Bibas and her sons — the Palestinian Mujahedeen Brigades — handed over a body that Bibas’ family said Israeli forensic authorities confirmed was hers.

"Now that it’s here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure," the family said.

Hamas on Saturday denied Israeli claims it was responsible for the Bibas children's deaths, calling them lies aimed at justifying Israeli military actions against civilians in Gaza.

Difficult likely ahead

The ceasefire deal has paused the deadliest and most devastating fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, but there are fears the war will resume after the first phase ends.

Hamas has said it will release four bodies next week, completing the first phase. After that, Hamas will hold about 60 hostages — about half believed to be alive.

Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start, but negotiations are likely to be more difficult.

Hamas has said it won’t release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu, with the full backing of the Trump administration, says he’s committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governing capacities and returning all hostages, goals widely seen as mutually exclusive.

An Israeli official said Netanyahu would meet with security advisers on Saturday evening about the ceasefire's future. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting had not been formally announced, said discussions would focus "on the goal of returning all our hostages, alive and dead."

Freed hostages bring relief  

Cohen, Shem Tov and Wenkert were brought out wearing fake army uniforms, though they were not soldiers when abducted.

"This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together," Shoham’s family said, calling for a deal to free all still held. "There is a window of opportunity; we must not miss it."

Shoham, who also holds Austrian citizenship, was visiting his family in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas stormed in. His wife and two young children were freed in a November 2023 exchange.

Mengistu’s family and friends broke out in song as they saw him for the first time in a decade.

"Do you remember me?" one brother asked as they embraced.

Niva Wenkert, Omer’s mother, told Israel's Channel 12 that "on the surface, he looks OK, but there’s no telling what’s inside."

As concerns grew over the remaining hostages, Ilan Gilboa Dalal, the father of captive Guy Gilboa-Dalal, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan the family had received the first sign of life in eight months from a newly freed hostage who had been held with him.

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set for release  

The 620 Palestinian prisoners to be freed include 151 who were serving life or other sentences for violent attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 will be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners' media office.

A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison for an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver.

Also being released are 445 men; 18 children aged 15 to 17, and five aged 18 to 19; and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war.

Israel’s military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble. At its height, the war displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. Many have returned to their homes to find nothing left and no way of rebuilding.

The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died in the war.



Ship Attacked in Red Sea After Bulk Carrier Sinking Claimed by Yemen’s Houthis

 The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP)
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Ship Attacked in Red Sea After Bulk Carrier Sinking Claimed by Yemen’s Houthis

 The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP)

A Liberian-flagged cargo ship came under fire on Monday in the Red Sea, with two security guards on board reportedly hurt and two others missing in an assault that came after Yemen's Houthi militants purportedly sunk another vessel in a similar attack.

Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas, also Liberian-flagged, with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.

The two attacks and a round of Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the militants raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after US President Donald Trump's administration targeted the militants in a major airstrike campaign.

The attacks come at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against Tehran in June. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House.

The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack on Monday night in the Red Sea, offering the details on the two hurt and two missing security guards. It said the vessel had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board had opened fire in the attack.

“The vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,” the firm said.

There were no other immediate details on the attack, which also was acknowledged by the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center. The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel noted the attack, but the militants didn't claim the assault.

However, Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister with Yemen's legitimate government that opposes the Houthis and is based in southern Yemen, said the militants had also carried out the second attack. The Houthis control the northern half of Yemen and its capital, Sanaa.

The US military's Central Command said it was aware of reports of the attack, but declined to comment further.

Sunday's attack on the Magic Seas, another bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port of Hodeidah, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. That's the same area of the attack on Monday night.

The UKMTO first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. The UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.

A European Union anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas.

The United Arab Emirates later Monday said that one of its ships from Abu Dhabi Ports received the call to help on the Red Sea and rescued the 22 people aboard the Magic Seas.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, claimed Sunday's attack and said the militants used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship.

“Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas ... until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,” Saree said.

The Magic Seas’ owners didn’t respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel had sank Monday in the Red Sea.

Israeli strikes target Houthi-held ports

The Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports early Monday at Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area.

“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli military said.

The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the Israeli military said.

The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line.

The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past, including an American attack that killed 74 people in April, but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the militants as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes.

“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” Katz said in a statement. “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”

The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported.

Saree on Monday claimed to launch missiles and drones targeting Israel in its attack.

The Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. Their campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks.

The Houthis paused attacks until the US launched a broad assault against the militants in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.