Media reported the handover of three hostages by Hamas to ICRC representatives
The Palestinian Hamas movement handed over three Israeli hostages to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This was reported by Al Arabiya on January 19.
The hostages were released as part of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The publication specified that among the hostages are 24-year-old Romy Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Demari and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher.
At the same time, the Palestinian Hamas movement told Izvestia that the deal on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages was only possible thanks to pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The deal would not have been possible if not for Trump's pressure on Netanyahu," said Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi.
Earlier in the day, Hamas handed mediators a list of Israeli hostages to be released on Sunday, January 19.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement became known on January 15. The next day, the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began preparations to implement the agreement.
Theceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to begin on the morning of January 19, as agreed upon by both sides and mediators. The Israeli government approved the agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement on January 17 following a six-hour meeting.
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 to launch retaliatory strikes.
