The three Israeli hostages were released in exchange for around 90 Palestinians held without trial by Israel [Getty]
Three Israeli women captives released from Gaza by Hamas as part of the hostage exchange deal on Sunday were handed what appeared to be “gift bags” by fighters from the Palestinian movement on Sunday.
Hamas released a video showing the three captives – Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen – being given paper bags, which were said to contain mementos from their time held in captivity in Gaza.
In the video, the women are seen smiling and cracking jokes with their captors who handed them the so-called ‘gift bags’ mostly off-screen through the window of a vehicle.
The bags were emblazoned with the logo of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
The captives, still smiling, hold up the brown bags that reportedly contained “gifts and souvenirs” to mark their release.
Footage shows that at least one item in the bags was a special certificate, again bearing the logo of the Al-Qassam Brigades, titled ‘Release Agreement’ in both Hebrew and Arabic, with Israeli media reporting that the document was signed by the Red Cross at the moment of handover.
Israeli media reported that the bags also contained photos of the hostages while they were in captivity, a map of the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian flag necklaces.
The Israeli hostages have spent 471 days in captivity in Gaza, having been taken captive during Hamas’s surprise attack on 7 October 2023.
Israeli media has dismissed the “gift bags” as a propaganda stunt staged by Hamas. However, some social media users contrasted the gesture and the generally healthy and happy demeanour of the Israeli hostages, with the condition of Palestinian detainees released by Israel, many of whom showed signs of neglect and potential mistreatment.
Israeli authorities also raided the family homes of several released Palestinian captives to prevent celebrations.
Around 90 Palestinians were released as part of the hostage exchange deal, with most of them being detained in Israeli prisons without trial or even charge.
