The Palestinian militant group Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday, whose frail and emaciated appearance shocked Israelis. Meanwhile, Israel began releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal aimed at ending the 15-month conflict in Gaza.

Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, along with Or Levy, taken that day from the Nova music festival, were escorted onto a Hamas podium by armed militants. The three men appeared visibly weak, thin, and pale—looking significantly worse than the 18 hostages previously freed under last month’s truce.

“He looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see,” said Michal Cohen, mother-in-law of Ohad Ben Ami, speaking to Channel 13 News. The Hamas-controlled handover ceremony involved the hostages answering questions from a masked individual while gunmen stood on either side.

 Complaints of Ill-Treatment from Both Sides

In exchange for their release, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, including individuals convicted of involvement in deadly attacks, as well as 111 detainees held in Gaza during the war.

A bus carrying 42 freed Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where they were welcomed by a cheering crowd. Among those released was Eyad Abu Shkaidem, sentenced to 18 life terms in Israel for orchestrating suicide bombings in retaliation for Israel’s 2004 assassinations of Hamas leaders.

“Today, I am reborn,” Shkaidem told reporters upon his arrival in Ramallah, as supporters cheered. Many of the released prisoners appeared in poor health, with some alleging mistreatment. “The occupation humiliated us for over a year,” Shkaidem said.