On Thursday, Hamas-led militants released eight hostages from Gaza, including three Israelis and five Thai nationals, as part of an ongoing exchange agreement. During the release, masked gunmen escorted hostages through a large crowd before handing them over to the Red Cross.
The public display drew widespread condemnation from Israeli officials and social media users, with many expressing outrage over the mode of release. Videos of the scene circulated online, fueling frustration among Israelis and their supporters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the images “shocking,” while President Isaac Herzog described them as “horrifying.”
This is not a hostage release, it is an exercise in torture.
First footage of Israel civilian hostage Arbel Yehud absolutely surrounded by Islamist terrorists and thousands of Palestinians in a mob.
It is absolutely appalling that the Red Cross and any of the other mediators… pic.twitter.com/hqWC6f15Cr
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 30, 2025
Gadi Moses, 80, reportedly collapsed in the massive terrorist crowd he was led through, after this was filmed.
Israel had halted the release of convicted terrorists because Hamas keeps making a public spectacle out of these tormented hostages. pic.twitter.com/7G5TQxTKME
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) January 30, 2025
In response, Netanyahu temporarily delayed the planned release of 110 Palestinian prisoners, demanding assurances from mediators to prevent similar incidents in future exchanges. His office later announced that an agreement had been reached to ensure a more orderly transfer process in the coming phases.
In Thailand, the release of the five Thai hostages was met with relief. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed hope for the return of the last remaining Thai captive, while families of the freed workers described emotional reunions. Thailand has confirmed that 31 of its citizens were taken hostage during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with 39 killed that day. Most Thai hostages were freed in November 2023, leaving only a few still unaccounted for.
Separately, Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the leader of its military wing and a key planner of the Oct. 7 attack. Israel had previously claimed to have killed him in an airstrike six months earlier.
