Israel begins release of six hostages from Gaza in prisoner exchange
rte.ie —
Six Israeli hostages are being released from Gaza in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisoners. This follows the confirmation of the body of Shiri Bibas, a hostage who was misidentified earlier. The Israeli military now holds two of the released hostages, Tal Shoham and Averu Mengistu, who were handed over by Hamas militants to Red Cross officials. The ceasefire, which began on January 19, remains fragile as both sides prepare for further negotiations regarding additional hostages and the situation in Gaza.