Mideast in Pictures: Israel, Hamas complete 5th prisoner-for-hostage swap under Gaza ceasefire deal

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israel and Hamas on Saturday completed the fifth prisoner-for-hostage swap under the first phase of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.

Three Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas were transferred on Saturday from central Gaza to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency and crossed the border into Israel, the IDF said in a statement.

The three Israeli hostages, kidnapped in a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, are Ohad Ben Ami, 56, a dual Israeli-German citizen; Eli Sharabi, 52; and Or Levy, 34.

Earlier in the day, Xinhua's on-the-scene correspondent saw three vehicles of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) arrive at the designated handover site in Deir al-Balah city. Enditem