The first Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israel’s Ofer prison in the Occupied West Bank, marking the start of a release of 369 prisoners as part of the sixth exchange under the ceasefire agreement, Palestinian Quds News Network and AP reported on February 15.

Israel released images on the day of Palestinian prisoners wearing sweatshirts with “We will never forget, we will never forgive” before they were released as Israeli troops continued operations inside the West Bank, firing tear gas towards Palestinian homes in Al Isawiya.

Among those freed was Iyad Ahmed Haribat, known as "the Scientist" by Israel from the village of Sikka in Hebron, who was arrested in 2002 and survived an attempted killing by injection while in detention. Photos released by Palestinian media show a picture of a bearded Hassan Aweys with family members and his elderly mother from the Jenin refugee camp, who was released in the latest swap. Also released was Osama Al-Ashqar, a resistance fighter from Saida in northern Tulkarm, who had been imprisoned since 2002 after two years on the run. 

The prisoner release came after Hamas transferred three Israeli hostages - American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, Russian-Israeli Alexandre Troufanov and Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn - to the International Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The three men crossed into Israeli territory with IDF and ISA forces following their release and have since been taken to the hospital for a medical checkup. 

"IDF representatives are accompanying their families while waiting at the hospital and updating them with the latest available information," IDF media reported.

Hamas rejects Trump's offer of relocation to Jordan

"We say to the world there is no migration except to Jerusalem. This is our response to Trump's calls for displacement and liquidation, and to the colonial and occupying powers that support his agenda," Hamas said in a statement during the handover.

The ceremony, conducted near the home of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, featured militants in full military gear with face coverings standing on a platform bearing the messages "O Jerusalem, Bear Witness: We Are Your Soldiers" and "We Crossed Over Swiftly."

The exchange marks progress in the initial 42-day phase of the agreement, which aims to exchange 33 Israeli captives for 1,900 Palestinians in three stages.

The swap comes amid tensions over Trump's recent proposal to "take over" Gaza and forcibly expel its more than two million Palestinian residents. In an interview with Fox News, Trump described Gaza as "a real estate development for the future" and rejected Palestinians' right of return.

Hamas said on February 13 that it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement despite earlier threats to delay the releases over alleged Israeli violations, including shooting Palestinians in Gaza and restricting aid deliveries.

Mediators confirmed all parties would fulfil the ceasefire terms, including the humanitarian protocol in war, which has seen more than 48,000 Palestinians killed due to Israeli strikes on Gaza and the West Bank over two years.

Israel said it had killed over 17,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants since October 7, 2023, Palestinian officials denied they were militants saying the majority of them were innocent civilians.