Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Thursday (Jan 30), released Israeli woman soldier Agam Berger in the third hostage-prisoner swap.

Advertisment

Berger, wearing military-style clothing, was paraded on a stage by Hamas militants before being transferred to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Three Israelis and five Thai hostages are set to be released on Thursday under the Gaza ceasefire agreement which is aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian besieged enclave.

Twenty-year-old Berger was handed a goodie bag and a certificate to mark the end of her captivity.

Advertisment

A somber Berger was seen on stage, surrounded by masked Hamas members wearing distinctive green headbands, as she was prompted to wave at the crowd before being handed over.

Israel's military said Berger was now back in Israel and would undergo "an initial medical assessment".

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that five Thais held in Gaza would also be released by the Palestinian militant group.

Advertisment

Before the release, Islamic Jihad aired a footage showing Moses and Yehud hugging each other and smiling.

The Moses family, on Wednesday, said that it had "received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi's return".

A fourth hostage-prisoner swap is set to take place during the weekend, however, Hamas on Wednesday accused Israel of jeopardising the deal by holding up aid deliveries, an allegation Israel dismissed as "fake news".

Seven Israeli women, 290 Palestinian prisoners freed since Gaza ceasefire

According to the initial terms of the agreement, 33 hostages held by militants in Gaza are to be released in exchange for more than 1,900 Palestinians detained by Israel. So far, seven Israeli women and 290 Palestinian prisoners have been freed since the truce started.

Meanwhile, displaced Palestinians began making their way back to northern Gaza on Monday (Jan 27) as confirmed by Palestine’s interior ministry. Images shared on social media showed thousands of people traversing sandy roads amidst the devastation caused by over a year of Israeli strikes.

“The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part” of the Gaza Strip, an official told news agency AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)