Gaza: 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.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect on January 19, 2025. This 42-day phase of the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with support from the United States, stipulates that Hamas release 33 hostages while Israel releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. On the same day, three Israeli women were released from Hamas captivity in Gaza and arrived in Israel as the ceasefire agreement commenced.

On January 20, 2025, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners from Ofer prison, located west of Ramallah in the West Bank. This release came just hours after three Israeli hostages returned to Israel following their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

The second hostage swap occurred on January 25, 2025, when Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. Shortly thereafter, the Israel Prison Service confirmed that all 200 Palestinian prisoners set to be released had been freed.

On January 30, 2025, Israel agreed to release 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 minors, reversing an earlier decision to delay the exchange. This decision followed the release of three Israeli and five Thai hostages by Hamas under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire. Mediation efforts were crucial during this time, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initially suspended the prisoner release due to chaotic scenes during the handover.

February 1, 2025, saw Hamas release 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 February 4, 2025, Hamas announced that talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel had commenced, focusing on shelter, relief, and reconstruction in the devastated Palestinian enclave.

The fifth prisoner-for-hostage swap took place on February 8, 2025, when 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. As part of the swap, Israel also freed 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails on the same day, as agreed.