Palestinian group Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday (Feb 8). The three Israeli captives were released as part of the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under an ongoing ceasefire with Israel. In exchange, 183 Palestinian prisoners were freed. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the Hamas militants as "monsters" after the handover of the three hostages in extremely frail health.

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Three male Israelis, Eli Sharabi (52), Or Levy (34) and Ohad Ben Ami (56), were released. But their health appeared to be in a poor state. Their families celebrated but also raised major concerns over their health. They looked gaunt, weak, and pale. The difference in appearance was visible when Israel shared their before and after images. 

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The three Israeli hostages were kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. They were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by Hamas in Deir al-Balah city of the Gaza Strip.

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As quoted by CNN, a group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza said it was “horrified by the visible physical and mental condition” of the three. 

While speaking to Channel 13 News, Ohad Ben Ami's mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, said that "he looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see." 

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The hostages were taken to the hospital for medical assessment. Gil Fire, who is the deputy director at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, said, "In the initial medical assessment conducted, it is evident that Ohad returned in a severe nutritional state and had lost a significant amount of his body weight." 

Yael Frenkel Nir, the director of Sheba Hospital, told reporters, "The consequences of 491 long days in captivity are evident on the two returnees who arrived today, and their medical condition is poor. This is the fourth time in the current framework that we have received returnees, and the situation is more serious this time." 

Amid concerns, the demand to release all the remaining hostages has gained momentum. US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, welcomed the release and added that US President Donald Trump "was clear—Hamasmiddle  MUST release ALL hostages NOW!" 

"After 490 harrowing days in captivity, Eli, Or, and Ohad are finally home in Israel," Rubio wrote in a post on X. 

Netanyahu vows to destroy Hamas 

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas and bring home all captives held by the Palestinian militant group. "We will eliminate Hamas, and we will return our hostages," Netanyahu said in a video statement. He denounced the militants as "monsters" after the handover of three hostages. 

(With inputs from agencies)