UPDATE 2 - Hamas releases 3 more Israeli captives under Gaza ceasefire deal

UPDATES WITH DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Ahmed Asmar and Rania Abu Shamala

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas set free three more Israeli captives in Gaza on Thursday under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Female soldier Agam Berger was handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Al-Razan area in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Two more captives – Arbel Yehud and Gadi Mozes – were also released and handed over to the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Five Thai workers were also released during the handover, which took place outside the ruins of the house of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The Israeli army confirmed that it was notified by the Red Cross that Yehud, Mozes, and five Thai nationals were handed over to them.

The military earlier confirmed that Berger was freed and transferred to Israel for a medical checkup.

During Berger’s handover ceremony, Red Cross representatives were taken on stage to sign a protocol for the soldier’s release.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

Ten Israeli captives have so far been released in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners since the deal came into force.

Some 110 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Thursday from Israeli prisons.

Under the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released in exchange for an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian detainees.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.