Israel suspends next Palestinian prisoner release after chaotic Hamas handover of hostages

Three Israeli and five Thai nationals held captive in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, were released by Hamas Thursday in exchange for Israel releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners.

The three Israelis are civilians Arbel Yehud, 29, and Gadi Mozes, 80, both kidnapped from their homes in kibbutz Nir Oz, and female soldier Agam Berger, 19, kidnapped from her base, Nahal Oz. 

The five Thai civilians released are Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. All were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants in southern Israel, where they had been working in agriculture.

Hamas was believed to be holding 10 non-Israeli hostages: eight from Thailand, one from Tanzania and one from Nepal. Of the eight Thais, at least two are believed to have been killed on Oct. 7 or in captivity in Gaza.

The release of the Thai hostages is part of a separate deal negotiated by the Thai government. Prior to the ceasefire, Hamas had been holding 98 people hostage in Gaza.

Today's release took place in stages and in different locations, with Berger the first to be released Thursday morning in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, followed later by the release of the remaining hostages in Khan Younis, in the south. The hostages were surrounded by a large jeering crowd and dozens of gun-toting militants as they were escorted to be handed over to the Red Cross.

After the chaotic handover in southern Gaza, Zivan Frieden, a spokesman for Israel’s prisons authority, said in a statement that  the release of over 100 Palestinian prisoners had been suspended, without providing further details. 

Commenting on the chaotic scenes that unfolded during the release of the second cohort of hostages, Netanyahu said, “I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages.” He added, “This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization.”

The Israeli premier said he “demands the negotiators ensure that such horrific scenes do not occur again, and to guarantee the safety of our hostages.”

What's next

The Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released shortly, now that the hostages have arrived on Israeli soil. The 110 prisoners scheduled for release Thursday include 32 serving life sentences, 48 serving several years for serious offenses and 30 minors. 

Thursday’s release was the third round of releases since a ceasefire went into effect on Jan. 19. Three female Israeli civilians were freed that same day. A week later, four female Israeli soldiers kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base were also released. 

According to the terms of the agreement signed by Israel and Hamas — and brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States  — female civilians were to be released before soldiers, so Hamas was already supposed to have released Yehud. Hamas has also failed to produce a list of how many of the 33 hostages set to be released in the first phase of the truce are still alive, another condition of the agreement.  

The fragility of the agreement was exposed last weekend, when Israel suspended the opening of the east–west Nezarim Corridor, in the process blocking the return of thousands of Gazans trying to get back to their homes in northern Gaza, after Hamas refused to release Yehud. After Hamas agreed to free her and two other hostages Thursday, Israel opened the passage on Monday, paving the way for more than 376,000 Palestinians to return north, per the United Nations.

How many hostages, how many prisoners?

For the first, 42-day phase of the deal, Israel has committed to releasing around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, depending on how many of the hostages are still alive. Of these prisoners, 737 are serving life sentences. In return, Hamas agreed to release 33 women, children, men over 50 and those injured or ill. Seven Israeli hostages were released in the first round in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners, including 121 serving life sentences. 

Israel has agreed to a ratio of approximately 30 Palestinian prisoners released for each civilian and 50 for each soldier. Most of the prisoners are set to be sent back to the West Bank, East Jerusalem or Gaza. Israel objected to prisoners convicted of murder from returning to any of those areas. Egypt agreed to serve as a landing spot for those prisoners. Around 15 of them will be transferred from Egypt to Turkey and another 15 to Qatar; talks are ongoing on the issue. Another country might take some of the prisoners.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with hostage families in Tel Aviv Thursday. He told journalists that an American citizen will be released in the next hostage release, over the weekend, but did not provide a name.