Emaciated hostages anger Israelis, with freed Palestinians hospitalised

Last Saturday, Hamas released three Israeli hostages whose extremely emaciated appearance sparked strong public outrage, with their physical condition being compared to that of Holocaust survivors. The three male hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, and shortly thereafter, Israeli authorities released 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, at least seven of whom were rushed to hospitals.

The three Israeli hostages – Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levi – were reportedly in generally good condition despite appearing exceptionally weak and gaunt after enduring 16 months of torment. An official at an Israeli hospital said last Saturday that after an initial medical assessment of Mr. Ami, "it was clear that Ohad returned in a serious state of malnutrition, with a significant loss of weight." The three men are currently being treated at two hospitals in central Israel.

Yael Frenkel-Nil, director of Sheba General Hospital and head of the medical response team for returning hostages, stated that the condition of the hostages returning this time was "more serious" compared to hostages released by Hamas in the past. She said, "From the medical knowledge we have accumulated, prolonged captivity is reflected in a significant deterioration in their physical condition."

Israeli authorities have vowed to take action against Hamas, but have not specified the exact form it will take. A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Given the dire condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations by the Hamas terrorist organization, the Prime Minister has ordered that Israel will not stand idly by and will take action as necessary."

The crowd watching the handover ceremony at Hostages Square gasped when they saw the men emerge from the Hamas vehicles. "It's really, really sad to see them looking like Holocaust survivors today," onlooker Dania Garkochi told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "The horror and torture they have been through... it's all over them," said another supporter, Ella Aharon.

Shortly after the handover of the three Israeli hostages on Saturday, 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released from Israeli prisons. Celebratory gunfire could be heard in the Gaza Strip, where more than 100 people were received. Many of them had been detained during the war but never convicted of any crime. Forty-two were released to the West Bank, where local authorities said at least seven needed to be rushed to hospitals after disembarking in Ramallah.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly been accused of gross neglect of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, with diseases spreading in prison facilities and allegations of beatings. Israel denies the abuse claims. Among those released to the West Bank was Ayad Abu Shkeidem, who was sentenced to 18 life sentences for his involvement in planning suicide attacks against Israel in the early 2000s. Some prisoners were also deported to Egypt.

Of the 33 Israeli hostages scheduled to be released during the initial six-week ceasefire agreement, 21 have been brought home, and there is great concern about the transfers in the coming weeks. It is believed that eight of those who still need to be returned before March 2 are already dead, including Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Kfir and Ariel.

Anxiety over the return of dead hostages, as well as the three frail men released on Saturday, is fueling anger towards the Netanyahu government. The Prime Minister has been criticized for prioritizing a trip to the United States this week to meet with President Donald Trump over advancing negotiations to bring more hostages home.

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod remains held by Hamas and was not among those released under the six-week ceasefire agreement, has pointed the finger at Mr. Netanyahu. "It is worth mentioning that while Israeli citizens are being released from Hamas captivity like Holocaust survivors, Netanyahu is spending time in a luxurious hotel suite in Washington, paid for by Israeli taxpayers and at the expense of the suffering of the hostages," he told Israeli media Ynet.

An Israeli delegation was originally scheduled to travel to Doha, the capital of Qatar, this weekend to participate in those "second phase" negotiations, nearly a week later than originally planned to intensify negotiations.