Gaza – SABA:
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, handed over three Zionist prisoners as part of the fifth batch of the prisoner exchange deal with the Zionist enemy, within the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Al-Qassam announced the release of the three Zionist prisoners: Eliyahu Datson Sharabi, Or Avraham Levi, and Ohad Ben Ami. In exchange, the occupation authorities freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, including 18 serving life sentences.
With the completion of this fifth batch, Al-Qassam has now handed over 16 Zionist prisoners as part of the ongoing exchange deal, which involves releasing Palestinian detainees in return for Zionist captives.
The prisoners were handed over in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, an area that has suffered heavy bombardment and numerous massacres during the war. This marks the first time that a prisoner handover has taken place in central Gaza.
The handover was laden with political symbolism, as hundreds of Al-Qassam fighters from various military units were deployed at the site.
A large banner on the stage read: "We Are the Flood… We Are the Day After", written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, accompanied by an image of the Palestinian flag alongside a clenched fist.
Al-Qassam’s choice of the phrase "We Are the Day After" appears to be a response to recent Israeli media reports suggesting that the occupation might accept the departure of Hamas leaders from Gaza as part of a post-war scenario. This comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt, Jordan, or other countries.
The event saw a large and organized turnout of citizens witnessing the handover to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which observers view as public support for the Palestinian resistance** in Gaza.
Videos circulating on social media showed wounded Al-Qassam fighters participating in the ceremony. Small white trucks carrying armed Al-Qassam fighters were stationed around the area, securing the highly organized handover operation.
The stage was decorated with portraits of assassinated Hamas leaders, including:
- Mohammed Deif, Al-Qassam’s General Commander
- Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau
- Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ Political Chief
- Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza
- Marwan Issa, Ayman Nofal, Ghazi Abu Tam’a, and Raed Thabet, senior Al-Qassam military leaders
One of the most striking images on the lower part of the stage was a large poster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shown resting his head on his hand inside an inverted red triangle—a symbol that has appeared in Hamas videos throughout the war depicting destroyed Zionist military vehicles. The poster also featured images of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles in ruins, with the Hebrew phrase "Absolute Victory" written across it—a clear reference to Netanyahu’s repeated promises of achieving "absolute victory" over Hamas in Gaza.
During the preparations for the handover, Israeli reconnaissance drones were seen violating the ceasefire agreements, despite Hamas reaching prior understandings with the occupation forces. The Israeli military also failed to honor humanitarian protocols stipulated in the deal, including the agreed-upon entry of aid supplies, mobile homes, and tents into Gaza.
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