By james art 
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Hamas released all six hostages on the last exchange Saturday, even when the increased tension between the opponents blurred the future of the transaction for a fragile cessation of fire.
The six included three Israeli men seized from the Music Festival in Nova and another abducted while visiting his family in southern Israel when fighters stormed across the border in October 7, 2023, attacks that sparked Israel’s nearly 16-month campaign in the Gaza Strip S
Two of the hostages held Hamas for about a decade since everyone entered the Gaza Sammy.
Five of the prisoners were handed over to stages of ceremonies that the Red Cross and Israel condemned in the past – taken out of masked, armed Hamas fighters in front of hundreds of Palestinians before being transferred to Red Cross vehicles.
In the central town of Nusherat, Omer Venkert, Omer Shem Tov and Elijah Cohen were posed with Hamas fighters on stage. Shining Shem Tov even kissed two fighters next to him on his head and blew kisses to the crowd. Hamas has been seriously criticized for such public events, such as Israel, the UN and the Red Cross said they were cruel and did not respect the dignity of the hostages.
Looking at the release, family and friends of Cohen in Israel chanted “Eliya! Elia! Elia! “And they cheered when they first saw him. Shem Tov’s grandmother is bored with joy, screaming: “Omer, my joy! My life! “As he saw it.
The Israeli military said the final hostage Hisham al-Sayed, 36, was released later on Saturday. The Israeli Bedouin went to Gaza alone in 2015 and has been running since. His family told the Israeli media al-Sayed, previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Recent editions, which will be followed by the release of hundreds of Palestinians, closed by Israel, continued forward after tension mounted over a sinister and heartfelt dispute triggered this week when Hamas initially handed the wrong body to Bibas, Israeli mother to two young Boys abducted by the fighters.
The remains that Hamas transferred with the bodies of his sons on Thursday were later identified as those of an unidentified Palestinian woman. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised revenge for a “cruel and malicious violation” while Hamas suggested that it was a mistake.
On Friday night, the small belligerent group was believed to have held Bibs and her sons – the Palestinian Majauder Brigades – reported a second body. The Bibass family said Israeli criminologists have confirmed that the remains are hers.
“For 16 months, we have sought security and now that it is here, it does not bring comfort, although we hope that it marks the beginning of the closure,” the family said.
Difficult negotiations probably in the next phase of fire termination
The fire termination deal stopped the war, but the end of its first phase is approaching. Negotiations on the second phase, in which Hamas will release dozens of more hostages in exchange for a permanent cessation of fire and Israeli withdrawal, will probably be even more difficult.
The six hostages, released on Saturday, are the last alive to be released in the first phase.
Cohen, Shem Tov and Venkert, all of their 20s, were abducted by Hamas fighters at the Nova Music Festival. During their release, they were removed, carrying fake army uniforms, although they were not soldiers when they were abducted.
Earlier on Saturday, two other hostages – Tal Shoham, 40, and Aver Mengista, 38 – were released in the southern town of Rafa. Arriving back to Israel, they were both taken to medical examination centers.
“This is an unforgettable moment when all emotions are quickly mixed. Our tal is with us, “says Shoham’s family in a statement, calling for a deal to release everyone still captive. “There is a window of opportunities; We don’t have to miss it. “
Shoham, who also owns Austrian citizenship, visits his family in Kibbutz Bayry when Hamas fighters invade the community during the attacks on October 7, 2023. Shoham’s wife, two young children and three other relatives who were abducted with him, were released in an exchange of November 2023.
Mengist, Ethiopian-Israeli, was held in Gaza since he entered the 2014. Watching the show of Israeli media, family and friends of Mengista, they exploded in a Jewish song “Here’s the Light”, as they saw it for the first time in more than a decade. “Do you remember me?” asks one of his brothers as they hugged each other in the hospital.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set to release
Later Saturday, Israel will release 620 closed Palestinians.
These include 151 who serve life or other sentences, about 100 of which will be deported to other countries, according to the Palestinian Media Office of Prisoners. They also include 445 men, as well as 18 children between the ages of 15 and 17, five between the ages of 18-19 and a woman, all of whom were seized by Israeli troops in Gaza during the present war, according to the media office S
Hamas said he would release four more bodies next week, completing the first phase of fire. If this plan is implemented, Hamas will keep about 60 hostages, about half of which are thought to be alive.
Hamas said he would not release the other captives without a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israel. Netanyahu, with the full support of Trump’s administration, says he has committed himself to destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and return all hostages, the goals widely regarded as mutually exclusive.
Israel’s military offensive killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says he killed more than 17,000 fighters without providing evidence.
The offensive destroyed vast gas areas, reducing entire neighborhoods to ruins. In his height, the war shifted 90% of the Gaza population. Many have returned to their homes to find anything left and there is no way to recover.
___
Shuraf reports by Deir Al Balah, Ivica Gaza, Jajuh from Rafa. Associated Press Writers Abdel-Karem Hannah in Nuseira, Gaza Strip and Samy Magdy in Cairo have contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.