Palestinian prisoner release delayed - what we know about people involved

Six Israeli hostages were handed over by Hamas on Saturday, while the 620 Palestinian prisoners due to be freed in return remain behind bars.

The Gaza ceasefire deal continues to hold, despite tensions rising earlier in the week when Hamas initially handed over the body of an unidentified Palestinian woman instead of Israeli mother-of-two Shiri Bibas.

The hostage-prisoner exchange earmarked for Saturday was supposed to be the last for the first phase of the ceasefire.

Five of the Israeli hostages were handed over in public displays, with the captives ushered out of cars by balaclava-clad men holding rifles - and the final one released to the Red Cross in private.

Israel was expected to free 620 Palestinian prisoners later on Saturday, including a man who has been detained for more than 40 years, and many more given life sentences.

However, as night fell across the region, they remained behind bars, with Hamas claiming their release had been delayed because some of them had been "assaulted".

An Israeli spokesperson has denied the assaults and said the Red Cross are present at the prison.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a "security consultation" with the head of prison forces and his defence minister on Saturday evening, with no word yet of when the prisoners might be released.

Follow latest: Delay to prisoner release due to 'assaults' - Hamas

Who are the freed Israeli hostages?

The first two hostages released on Saturday were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu.

Mr Shoham, 40, was visiting his wife's family in Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas militants stormed into the community during the October 7 attacks in 2023.

His wife, two young children and three other relatives were also abducted, but they were freed in an exchange in November 2023.

Mr Mengistu, a 39-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since he entered the territory on his own in 2014.

Watching the moment he was freed on TV, his family broke out in song as he walked free for the first time in more than a decade.

Later on Saturday, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

Mr Shem Tov, 22, was taken during the October 7 attacks on the Nova music festival.

The computer programmer had shared his live location with his family, who eventually noticed he was headed towards Gaza and contact with him was lost.

Mr Cohen, 27, was also taken from the Nova festival, alongside his fiancee.

Released hostages have said that he was kept in chains and deprived of food and sunlight during his time in captivity, according to reports.

Mr Wenkert, 23, was taken from Nova. He suffers from colitis and requires special medical care, it has been reported.

Finally, Hisham al Sayed, 28, was handed over in a private ceremony.

The Bedouin-Israeli, from the village of Hura in the Negev desert, has been a captive since he crossed into Gaza in 2015.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners due to be released?

More than 600 Palestinian prisoners were set to be released on Saturday.

According to the prisons office, which is run by Hamas, they include 50 who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 described as having "high" sentences, 47 prisoners from the "Wafa al Ahrar" 2011 prisoner exchange deal who had since been re-arrested, and 445 who were arrested after 7 October attacks.

The "Wafa al-Ahrar" deal was the 2011 prisoner exchange agreement that saw the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners.

Read more:
Body of Shiri Bibas returned, family confirms
Fragile Gaza ceasefire stumbles from one hurdle to next

Among the most high-profile Palestinians to be released is Nael Barghouti - the longest-serving prisoner, who has been inside for 43 years.

Also on the list are several journalists, many of whom covered events at al Shifa hospital, and Yousef al Mansi, a Palestinian minister in Gaza.

It had been expected that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, would be among those being released on Saturday.

However it later emerged that he was not on the list of those being freed.

(c) Sky News 2025: Palestinian prisoner release delayed - what we know about people involved