Hisham al-Sayed, last hostage for today, crosses into Israel | Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert have arrived in Israel l Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu reunited with their families

15:29 Hisham al-Sayed has crossed into Israeli territory with IDF and ISA forces

A short while ago, the returning hostage Hisham al-Sayed crossed the border into Israeli territory accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, and he is currently on his way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where he will be reunited with members of his family. (IDF statement)

13:44 Three Returning Hostages - Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert - have arrived at the initial reception point in southern Israel

IDF officers from the Personnel Directorate and IDF medical officials are accompanying the three returning hostages, and they will undergo an initial medical assessment and be reunited with their families.

IDF representatives are accompanying their families waiting at the hospital and updating them with the latest available information.

The IDF is prepared to receive an additional hostage who is due to be transferred to the Red Cross in the near future. (IDF statement)

13:27 Tal Shoham arrives at Beilinson Hospital

13:16 - 'A humanitarian, moral, and Jewish imperative' — President Herzog calls for completing the return of all hostages

President Isaac Herzog welcomed the return of the remaining hostages from the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal, saying the nation "takes comfort" in their return. He also called for completing the deal to return all the hostages.

On a harrowing morning, as we learned with deep sorrow of the identification of the body of Ariel and Kfir’s dear mother, Shiri Bibas, we take comfort in seeing the return of Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, and Omer Shem Tov after they were brutally taken hostage 505 days…

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) February 22, 2025

13:09 - IDF and ISA officially announce that Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert have been transferred to the IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip

The IDF announced that the three returning hostages are currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.

The IDF said it is prepared to receive Hisham al-Sayed, who is due to be transferred to the Red Cross in the near future.

The handover of al-Sayed will take place without a release ceremony, Hamas said earlier today, out of respect for his being "an internal Palestinian."

12:47 - IDF says hostages en route to Israel with Red Cross

The IDF announced that the three hostages released in Nuseirat, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert, are in the hands of the Red Cross and have already departed from the handover ceremony towards the IDF team in southern Israel.

The IDF said it is prepared to receive an additional hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, who is due to be transferred to the Red Cross in the near future.

12:37 - Three hostages being handed over to Red Cross in ceremony at Nuseirat

Israeli hostages Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert are being handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on a stage in central Gaza's Nuseirat.

Hostages Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert are being handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross at a stage in central Gaza's Nuseirat.

They will soon be brought to IDF troops inside Gaza, to be escorted out of the Strip. pic.twitter.com/dx6LOl96mC

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 22, 2025

12:16 - Hamas vehicles arrive at Nuseirat release point

Vehicles from the Hamas teror organization have arrived at the release point in Nuseirat ahead of the second hostage release.

12:05 - Hamas says it is willing to release all hostages at once in phase two

In an official statement issued Saturday morning, the terror organization said, “Hamas today confirms its complete seriousness to complete all stages of the prisoner exchange process, and its readiness to carry out a single exchange process in the second stage in exchange for the occupation’s commitment to a sustainable ceasefire, withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of our prisoners from its prisons.” 

The organization also claimed that it forced Israel "to cross the red lines it set for itself in the issue of releasing prisoners."

11:55 - Hamas says will release Hisham al-Sayed without ceremony

Bedouin hostage Hisham al-Sayed, who has been held captive by Hamas for a decade, will be released in Gaza City later today, Hamas announced. According to a statement on a Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel, in contrast to the release of the other hostages, al-Sayed will not be released in a Hamas propaganda-filled ceremony "as a confirmation of the unity of the Palestinian people throughout all of Palestine, from the river to the sea."

11:35 - Red Cross arrives at 2nd handover point in Nuseirat

The Red Cross arrived at the second point of release of the hostages in Nuseirat. Large crowds of Palestinians gathered there are hindering movement of the organization's vehicles.

The Red Cross uber convoy now arriving in Al Nuseirat, Gaza, to receive next group of hostages. Reminder, for over 500 days, @ICRC has not visited a single hostage in captivity! pic.twitter.com/fRCayxeRhm

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) February 22, 2025

11:05 - The two returning hostages - Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham - have arrived at the initial reception point in southern Israel

The IDF announced that Avera Mengist and Tal Shoham arrived at the initial reception point in Israel where IDF officers from the Personnel Directorate and IDF medical officials will accompany them as they undergo an initial medical assessment and are reunited with their families.

IDF representatives are also accompanying their families waiting at the hospital and updating them with the latest available information.

The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are due to be transferred to the Red Cross in the near future.

10:28 - Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu arrive safely in Israel

With the arrival of Shoham and Mengistu in Israeli territory, the Israeli military will accompany the two newly released hostages to a the initial reception point in Southern Israel and then make their way to a predetermined hospital in Israel, where they will be reunited with their families, undergo a medical evaluation, and receive any urgent treatment deemed necessary. A plan for their ongoing care and support will also be established.

10:13 - Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu now in custody of the IDF

10:06 - Shin Bet and IDF confirms Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu enroute to Israel

09:13 - Red Cross arrives at the handover point in Rafah

08:53 - Red Cross on the way to pick up hostages

Red Cross vehicles are on the way to the handover points in Rafah and Nuseirat, a security source told Israeli media outlets.

Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to receive the released hostages.

08:08 – Hamas prepares release points in Rafah and Nuseirat

Hamas has cleared and erected stages in the towns of Rafah and Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip, ahead of the expected release of six living Israeli hostages within the coming hours.

Like in previous rounds, the stages are decorated with posters carrying propaganda messages.

According to reports by Al-Jazeera and the Qatari Al-Arabi channel, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu are to be handed over in Rafah, while Omer Shem Tov, Hisham al-Sayed, Omar Wenkert and Eliya Cohen will be released in Nuseirat.

In exchange, Army Radio reported that 602 Palestinian prisoners will be released, of whom 445 will be released back to the Gaza Strip after being detained during IDF ground operations there.

60 terrorists were serving prolonged sentences, and 47 of the released were originally freed under the Shalit deal in 2011 and rearrested afterward.

The Hamas terror group has set up stages in southern Gaza's Rafah and in the Nuseirat area in the Strip's center for the handover today of six Israeli hostages.

As has been in previous hostage releases, the stages are plastered with propaganda posters.

Hamas is releasing this… pic.twitter.com/3ZQoWw5f5k

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 22, 2025

06:43 – Bibas family: ‘Our Shiri has returned home to her children’

The Bibas family said the IDF informed them that the body of Shiri Bibas had been returned and identified.

“Last night, our Shiri was brought back home. After the identification process at the Forensic Institute, we received the news this morning that we feared: Our Shiri was murdered in captivity, and now she has returned home to her children, her husband, her sister, and her entire family to rest.”

“Despite the fear for their fate, we continued to hope that we would be able to embrace them, and now we are in pain and shattered. For 16 months we asked for certainty, and now it brings no comfort, but we hope for the beginning of closure. Shiri was an extraordinary mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a dedicated sister and aunt, and an amazing friend.”

“In this difficult time, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the remaining hostages still in captivity. There is no more important goal than this. There will be no recovery without them.”

Details of the mourning and funeral will be shared later. Please give the family the space to process and mourn. Thank you to everyone for the support and love over these 16 months. We wish Shiri could have seen this.”

06:38 – Body of Shiri Bibas identified after overnight release from Gaza

The body of Shiri Bibas has been identified after Hamas released her to the Red Cross overnight, the IDF confirmed in the morning.

Bibas, like her two children Ariel and Kfir, was murdered in captivity by her captors, according to an official statement.

“After the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Israel Police, IDF representatives informed the Bibas Silverman family a short time ago that their loved one, Shiri, was murdered in captivity and has been returned for burial in Israel.”

“This follows the blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas, as part of the seventh phase of returning the deceased hostages, where they delivered an anonymous body.”

“Shiri was kidnapped alive from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with her children Ariel and Kfir, and according to the assessment of professional sources, she and her children were brutally murdered in captivity during the first weeks of the war by terrorists. We share in the family's sorrow during this difficult time,” the statement read.