2 Israeli prisoners at handover ceremony in Gaza urge completion of ceasefire deal

By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Two Israeli prisoners, scheduled for release in the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in the Gaza Strip, attended a handover ceremony Saturday with their comrades.

It was captured in a video published by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military win of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Telegram, which showed the handover of Israeli prisoners.

The two prisoners are seen inside an Al-Qassam vehicle, watching in a state of shock and disbelief.

One pleaded, "Please, save us so we can return to our homes. I beg you, Netanyahu, enough is enough. You have destroyed our lives; you have killed us."

The other added, "Bring us back to our homes -- that’s all we want."

The two continued in an emotional tone: "Oh, people of Israel, we want to be like those who were released. I can’t believe this; it’s unreal. I’m shocked --Netanyahu, you have killed us. We are watching our friends go home after more than 500 days of captivity."

They urged the continuation of the deal, saying, "Negotiate as you should --simply, work to complete the deal and end this situation.”

“Military pressure will kill us all. Please, government, and whoever is heading the government -- if you started this deal, see it through. Military pressure is not a solution."

They urged the Israeli public to protest and pressure the government until they were released.

The Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, said the two prisoners are Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Israeli authorities were set to release 620 Palestinian prisoners as part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the deal.

Earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades handed over six Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah, Nuseirat and Gaza City.​​​​​​​

The ceasefire deal took effect last month, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,300 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.​​​​​​​

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​