Hamas frees five hostages as part of ceasefire deal

Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23 were all abducted from the site of the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023 attacks conducted by Hamas.

After their release, Israel Defense Forces said on X, "After 505 days, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert are finally home."

A large number of armed Hamas men had lined up to guard the hostages during the exchange when a hundreds of people had assembled to witness the moment.

Tal Shoham, 40 and Avera Mengistu, 39, the other two released hostages, were freed from southern Gaza's Rafah.

Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, the sixth hostage, is expected to be released later in the day.

These six people are the last of the living hostages who will be freed by Hamas as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire deal that began on January 19.

 Less than 60 more captives still remain in the captivity of Hamas.

Meanwhile, aid operations in the Gaza Strip continue to reach people from north to south with critical assistance, including cash, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Friday.

Since the ceasefire on 19 January, some 138,000 Palestinians have benefited from cash assistance, including people with disabilities and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that market conditions across Gaza have improved since the ceasefire took effect. Goods are reportedly less expensive, and more commodities are available.