JERUSALEM/GAZA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- 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) arrived at the designated handover site in Deir al-Balah city.

The three hostages, appearing visibly frail and exhausted, moved onto a platform to speak first, and were then handed over by Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, to the ICRC, according to the correspondent.

This release marks the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel brokered by Egypt and Qatar with support from the United States.

As part of the swap, Israel has also begun releasing the 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails on Saturday. Enditem

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