The most high-profile prisoner swaps in history
The first hostages released by Hamas have been returned to Israel safely
© Reuters
LIFESTYLE Breaking news
After weeks of tense negotiations mediated by Qatar, Israel and Hamas finally made a deal that marked the first small sign of progress after nearly two months of relentless violence. A four-day ceasefire in Gaza began on the morning of November 24, allowing time for a long-awaited hostage swap. Hamas agreed to release 50 of the 240 hostages they took captive during their attack on Israel on October 7. In return, Israel has agreed to release 150 Palestinian women and children from their prisons, where more than 7,000 Palestinians are currently incarcerated.
The world watched with bated breath to see if both Israel and Hamas would honor the truce and allow the exchange to go ahead without issue. As the sun set, the first Red Cross vehicles carrying hostages reached the Rafah border in Gaza. Israeli officials confirmed that the first 24 captives had been released safely and are believed to be in “good and reasonable” health. They included 10 Thai nationals, one Filipino, and 13 Israeli women and children, some of whom have dual citizenship. The Israeli military confirmed that the hostages were back on Israeli soil and would be accompanied to hospitals to reunite with their families. Shortly after, the prime minister's office confirmed the names and ages of the Israeli captives that were released. They included four children between the ages of two and nine, six women over the age of 70, and three others.
Meanwhile, Israel transferred the first 39 prisoners, all women and children, to Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, where hundreds of people anxiously awaited their release. Shortly after news of the safe return of the hostages broke, the first Red Cross buses left the prison with the prisoners released by Israel. They have reportedly arrived in the Palestinian city of Beitunia in the West Bank.
The horrifying war that broke out between Israel and Palestine in October 2023 saw thousands of civilians killed in a matter of days. The Palestinian militant group Hamas crossed the border on October 7 and carried out the largest attack on Israeli soil in many years. They killed over 1,000 people and captured approximately 240 hostages. The majority of the hostages are Israeli, but there are also several people of other nationalities who were captured during the conflict, many of whom have now been released. Hamas has referred to hostages of other nationalities as "guests" whom they want to protect and release as soon as possible.
Up until the four-day truce began on November 24, Gaza was being bombarded with merciless airstrikes from Israel as well as incursions on the ground. By that time, more than 15,000 Palestinians had already been killed by the bombing, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised, "We will turn Gaza into a deserted island."
Prisoner swaps occur between two countries, usually involved in a conflict of some sort, when they find it mutually beneficial to release political prisoners, prisoners of war, people charged with espionage, and others, in exchange for the same. This has been a common practice in most of modern history, especially during the Cold War, when espionage was a primary tactic. From the legendary Russian sleeper agent Anna Chapman to the American WNBA champion Brittney Griner, history has been traded back and forth in the form of human beings.
Read on to learn more about the most famous prisoner exchanges in history.
(Image: Al Qahera News/Reuters TV via REUTERS)
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
