5th round of prisoner exchange begins in Gaza: Israeli hostages released
The 5th round of the prisoner exchange, conducted as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, has begun. Three Israeli hostages were handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas. Israel is expected to release 183 Palestinian prisoners in the coming hours.
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In the fifth round of the prisoner exchange, Israeli male captives Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami were handed over to International Red Cross teams. The released hostages were sent to Israel by Red Cross teams. In exchange for the released hostages, 183 Palestinians are expected to regain their freedom. Of the 183 Palestinians to be released, 18 had been sentenced to life imprisonment and 54 to heavy prison sentences.
It was learned that among the released hostages, Ben Ami is 56, Levy is 34, and Sharabi is 52 years old. Hamas had not agreed to release male hostages who were in good health and had served in the Israeli army as part of the agreement. No detailed statement was made regarding the condition of the released male prisoners.
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, hung a large banner on the platform where the Israeli captives were to be handed over in the fifth round of the exchange agreement, which read 'We are the flood. We are the day after the war.' The banner was written in three languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the hostages handed over to the Red Cross have reached Israel.
TRUMP'S GAZA PLAN
US President Donald Trump, in a joint press conference held with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Gaza is a 'completely destroyed' and 'uninhabitable' place, saying, 'Gaza will be handed over to the US by Israel when the conflicts end.'
According to Trump's plan, Gaza will be restructured under US control and transformed into a 'Riviera (resort) for all the people of the world.' On the other hand, the US President also advocated for the 'complete' expulsion of Palestinians from the region. Objections to Trump's statements came from various countries around the world, primarily Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and China.
Al Jazeera described Trump's plan as an 'attempt at ethnic cleansing.' In his statements since October 7, 2023, Netanyahu had also expressed that they 'wanted to send' the population in Gaza to 'other countries.' The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on the grounds that he committed the crime of 'genocide' due to this rhetoric and the war he is conducting.
HAMAS'S RESPONSE TO TRUMP
In the local press, it was commented that the Qassam Brigades handing over the captives in the city of Deir al-Balah, which has seen relatively less damage from Israeli attacks, carried a message against Trump's expressions. Hamas officials made statements emphasizing that Palestinians would 'never accept being exiled' despite Trump's occupation plan.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement reached between Hamas and Israel went into effect on Sunday, January 19, at 12:15 PM Turkish time. In the first four rounds of the prisoner exchange, 583 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and 13 Israeli and 5 Thai captives in Gaza had been released.
According to the three-phase ceasefire agreement, more than 1,900 Palestinians and 33 Israelis are expected to be released in the 42-day first phase.