Netanyahu's office called the condition of hostages after 500 days in Gaza appalling

Hostages handed over to Israel look horrifying after 500 days in captivity in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on February 8.

"The Israeli government welcomes the three returnees. Their families have been notified by the responsible authorities that they have joined our forces. <...> We will not let the horrifying images we saw today go unanswered," the office said in a post on social network X (formerly Twitter).

It also noted that the government with security forces will accompany the freed hostages and their families. It added that Israel aims to return all hostages and missing persons.

Reuters reported that Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy were captured by Hamas militants during an attack on Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023. At the time of their release, all three men looked extremely emaciated, weak and pale, which shocked the Israelis, the agency added.

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Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Hamas had released and handed over three hostages to Israel. The three freed men were later handed over by the Red Cross to the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

On February 5, Netanyahu said during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that Tel Aviv intends to destroy Hamas, return all Jewish hostages and eliminate the threat to the country from the Gaza Strip. The American leader, in turn, called Gaza a demolition site and suggested that Palestinians should be resettled in Jordan, Egypt or other countries.

On Jan. 19, the first phase of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. During this phase of the deal, which will last 42 days, 33 Israeli hostages and some 1,900 Palestinians are to be released. On the same day, the movement released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and on January 26, four military girls were handed over to the Red Cross. They were subsequently flown back to their homeland.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.