• Source:JND
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In a striking moment during a hostage exchange, Omer Shem Tov, an Israeli recently freed from captivity, was seen kissing the foreheads of two Hamas members as he waved to the crowd on stage. The exchange took place in the town of Nuseirat, where Hamas released three Israeli hostages—Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, and Eliya Cohen—into the custody of the Red Cross. The hostages were shown to the public, each holding certificates of release, before being officially handed over.

Video went viral

A video capturing Shem Tov’s unexpected act quickly gained widespread attention online, sparking significant discussion. After the exchange, the hostages were safely transported by a Red Cross convoy. According to The Times of Israel, Shem Tov's father, Malki Shem Tov, expressed both relief and admiration for his son's optimistic demeanour.

Earlier today, Hamas freed six hostages from Gaza on Saturday, the last living Israeli captives slated for release under the first phase of a fragile ceasefire accord, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Israel-Hamas hostage deal

Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival in Hamas'October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza, to be transported to Israeli forces.

Dozens of militants stood guard in a crowd that had gathered to watch the handover, as masked Hamas men armed with automatic rifles stood on each side of the three men, who appeared thin and pale, as they were made to wave from the stage.

Tal Shoham, 40 and Avera Mengistu, 39, were earlier released in Rafah in southern Gaza.

The Hamas-directed releases, which have included public ceremonies in which captives are taken on stage and some made to speak, have faced mounting criticism, including from the United Nations, which denounced the "parading of hostages".

Hamas rejected the criticism on Saturday, describing the events as a solemn show of Palestinian unity. It later handed over a sixth hostage, Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, to the Red Cross in Gaza City with no public ceremony.

Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been held by Hamas since they entered Gaza of their own accord around a decade ago. Shoham was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri along with his wife and two children, who were freed in a brief truce in November 2023.

The six are the last living hostages from a group of 33 due to be freed in the first stage of the three-phase ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that took effect on January 19. Sixty-three more captives, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, remain in Gaza.

"We've been waiting for Tal every day"

Shem Tov embraced his parents tightly, laughing and crying, "How I dreamt of this," he said, in a video distributed by the Israeli military. Shoham smiled, waved and gave a thumbs up to his friends who had gathered outside the hospital where he was taken.

"We've been waiting for Tal every day since October 7th," said Yael Avner, 50, one of Shoham's friends. "It's a great relief just to see him there, himself just coming back home."

Hundreds of Israelis gathered in the rain in what has become known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Some lit candles under photos of the Bibas family, whose bodies were returned this week.

In return for the hostages, Israel is expected to release 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in its jails.

They will include 445 Gazans rounded up by Israeli forces during the war, as well as dozens of convicts serving lengthy or life terms for attacks that killed dozens of Israelis in the Palestinian uprising two decades ago.

(With inputs from agency)