UPDATE 3 - Hamas hands over 3 Israeli captives to Red Cross under Gaza cease-fire deal

UPDATES WITH ISRAELI CONFIRMATION OF RECEIVING CAPTIVES

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – The Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross on Sunday under the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

The three captives were handed over by Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, at Saraya Square in central Gaza City, according to an Anadolu reporter.

The Israeli army confirmed that it was notified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that the three captives — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher — had been handed over.

The military said that the three female captives are now in the hands of its forces in Gaza after they were handed over by the Red Cross.

According to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the three freed captives are in good health.

A large number of Qassam members and their vehicles gathered in central Gaza City during the handover process, according to an Anadolu reporter.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect at 11.15 a.m. local time (0915GMT) on Sunday after a few hours’ delay due to Israeli accusations for Hamas of delaying the release of a list of captives set to be released. It was originally scheduled to start on 8.30 a.m. local time.

Nearly 47,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 others injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi and Rania Abu Shamala