BEIJING, Feb. 9 (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.
The following is a timeline of key events related to the swaps since Israel and Hamas agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal in January.
-- On Jan. 19, 2025, the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect. The first, a 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with support from the United States, stipulates that Hamas release 33 hostages, while Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
-- On the same day, three Israeli women, released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, arrived in Israel on the first day that the ceasefire agreement took effect.
-- On Jan. 20, 2025, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners from Ofer prison, located west of Ramallah in the West Bank, just hours after three Israeli hostages returned to Israel following their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
-- On Jan. 25, 2025, Gaza saw the second hostage swap as Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. Shortly after, the Israel Prison Service announced that all 200 Palestinian prisoners set to be released had been freed.
-- On Jan. 30, 2025, Israel agreed to release 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 minors, reversing an earlier decision to delay the exchange. The move followed the release of three Israeli and five Thai hostages by Hamas under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire.
Mediation efforts helped salvage the third round of hostage-prisoner exchanges, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially suspended the prisoner release, citing chaotic scenes during the handover.
-- On Feb. 1, 2025, Hamas released three Israeli hostages in the fourth batch of the first phase of the prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal. In return, Israel freed 183 Palestinian detainees and allowed 50 wounded and sick Palestinians to leave Gaza for medical treatment abroad.
-- On Feb. 4, 2025, Hamas said talks on the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel have begun, focusing on shelter, relief, and reconstruction in the devastated Palestinian enclave.
-- On Feb. 8, 2025, in the fifth prisoner-for-hostage swap, three Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas were transferred from central Gaza to the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency and crossed the border into Israel, the IDF said in a statement. As part of the swap, Israel also freed 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails on the same day as agreed. ■
