Israel and Hamas did in fact exchange prisoners this weekend. Three Israelis were exchanged for 90 Palestinians on the first day of a ceasefire deal.
The three Israeli prisoners were reported to be: Emily Damari, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. They were said to be in “good health.” They were in captivity for 471 days.
The 90 Palestinians released by Israel included 69 women and 21 teenage boys, some as young as 12. One of them was Bushra al-Tawil, a Palestinian journalist jailed in Israel in March 2024.
The hostage exchange will continue over the next six weeks. At least 30 more Israelis will be exchanged for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners.
President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, may visit the Gaza Strip this week to “ensure the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas stays on track,” according to some reports.
