Gaza: Hamas Releases First Seven Israeli Captives Under Ceasefire Deal

Gaza (QNN)- Hamas has released seven living Israeli captives held in Gaza as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, stating that Israel “failed to recover its prisoners through military pressure” and instead recovered them through an exchange deal, as the “resistance promised from the beginning.”

Hamas has published the names of the 20 living Israeli captives set to be freed as well as the nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees set to be released by Israel in exchange.

The International Red Cross just received seven Israeli captives released by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/dPVOIFDTQm

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 13, 2025

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, released a statement regarding the captive-prisoner exchange happening on Monday:

• We declare our commitment to the agreement reached and the timetables associated with it, as long as the occupation [Israel] adheres to them.
• The agreement reached is the result of the steadfastness of our people and the resilience of resistance fighters.
• The resistance was eager to stop the war of extermination, but the enemy thwarted all efforts.
• The enemy failed to recover its prisoners through military pressure, despite its superior intelligence and surplus force.
• The enemy submits and recovers its prisoners through an exchange deal, as the resistance had promised from the beginning.

The first seven Israeli captives held by Hamas have been handed over to the ICRC in northern Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, the captives have been in contact with their families and are reported to be in reasonable condition, able to walk without requiring medical assistance—unlike Palestinian detainees released from Israeli prisons, who are often in poor health amid reports of torture, mistreatment, and medical negligence.

The seven are Matan Engerst, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Alon Ohel, Gali and Zivi Berman, Eitan Mor and Omari Moran.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Monday that the remaining 13 living captives will be released at 07:00 GMT in the central Gaza Strip.

About 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released in exchange for the Israeli captives in Gaza:

• Among them are 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza.
• Another 250 prisoners are serving life or long sentences.
• Of those, 135 will be deported to Gaza or exiled abroad, 100 are expected to be sent to the occupied West Bank, and 15 will be released in occupied East Jerusalem.