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Third round of Gaza hostage releases underway; 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed

By James Legge, Irene Nasser, Kara Fox and Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 4:21 AM EST, Thu January 30, 2025

Aid official on urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza

03:17 - Source: CNN

What we're covering

• Eight hostages – three Israeli and five Thai – are set to be released from Gaza on Thursday. Israeli Agam Berger was the first to be released by Hamas. Arbel Yehoud, and Gadi Moses are also expected to be released, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. The names of the five Thai citizens have not been made public.

• Israeli authorities are also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners today. Of those, 32 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another 30 are children, according to Hamas.

• In phase one - the current phase - of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, a total of 33 Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas and other armed groups in the October 7 attacks are supposed to be freed. Israel is expected to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in turn.

• Two rounds of releases have already taken place. Eight of the remaining Israeli hostages set to be released are dead, according to the Israeli government.

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46 min agoTwo more Israeli hostages expected to be released soon in Khan Younis

A crowd greets Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters as they arrive for the hand-over of Israeli and Thai hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

Jehad Alshrafi/AP

Vehicles have been filmed driving towards the site of the second hostage release in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where two more Israeli hostages - Arbel Yehoud, and Gadi Moses - are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The scenes follow an earlier handover display by Hamas in Jabalya, where Agam Berger became the first Israeli hostage to be released on Thursday.

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1 hr 9 min agoCrowds gather as two more hostages expected to be released in southern Gaza

A Hamas fighter stands next to a crowd as before the hand-over of Israeli and Thai hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

Crowds of people are gathered at Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where two additional Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The handover display is expected to take place just steps from the home of the former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in November.

People are waving green flags amid a background of destroyed buildings.

Four armed factions have said they are participating in the handover operation in Gaza on Thursday:

Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees group
Al-Mujahideen Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement

This post has been updated with more details.

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1 hr 6 min agoThai flags flown in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square

Large crowds have been gathering at a central Tel Aviv plaza dubbed “Hostage Square” to watch and celebrate the return of hostages from Gaza. Five Thai citizens are among the eight people expected to be released on Thursday.

People are waving Thai and Israeli flags in anticipation of their release.

Thais were one of the largest groups of foreign nationals killed and kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Thailand has been one of Israel’s biggest sources of migrant labor for decades, with thousands of migrant laborers working in agriculture in Israel’s southern district near the Gaza strip.

As of Thursday morning, eight Thai nationals were still being held in Gaza, according to the Israeli government. Unlike the Israeli hostages, whose names and photographs have been on display in public places across Israel for the past 15 months, the Thais held in captivity have not been publicly named.

The Thai citizens are expected to be released in addition to the 25 Israeli hostages set to be freed in the coming days and weeks under the first phase of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire and hostages deal.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in May 2024 that two of the eight Thai citizens still in Gaza were presumed dead. The ministry named the two as Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Also auch thailand

1 hr 25 min agoBerger is the last female Israeli soldier to be released from Gaza

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová

People and Hamas militants gather around the vehicle transporting Agam Berger in Jabalia, Gaza, on Thursday.

Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

Agam Berger is the last of the seven female soldiers who were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023 to be returned to Israel.

One of the seven soldiers, Ori Megidish, was rescued by the IDF on October 30, 2023. Another soldier, Noa Marciano, 19, was killed in Gaza and her body was recovered by the Israeli military on November 17, 2023.

The other five female soldiers were not released as part of the short-lived 2023 ceasefire deal, despite the agreement calling for the release of all women and children held captive. Hamas said they would not release them because of their status as active duty soldiers.

Four of the five women - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were freed last Saturday, as part of the second round of hostage releases.

Videos of the women’s kidnapping became symbolic of the brutality of the October 7 attacks.

One piece of footage showed the young women lined up against a wall wearing their pajamas, their hands bound, their bodies bruised and bloodied. The video was released by the women’s families in May to put pressure on the Israeli government to secure a deal to have them freed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted at that time that it had failed to defend its personnel at the Nahal Oz base.

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1 hr 45 min agoIsraeli military says freed hostage Agam Berger is now in their custody

From CNN's Eugenia Yosef

Palestinian Hamas militants release female Israeli soldier Agam Berger in Jabalia, Gaza, on Thursday.

Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

The Israeli military has confirmed that Agam Berger, who was released by Hamas in Gaza at about 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Thursday, “is currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on her return to Israeli territory, where she will undergo an initial medical assessment.”

1 hr 48 min agoWho is Agam Berger, the latest hostage released by Hamas?

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová

Agam Berger

Hostages and Missing Families Forum

Agam Berger was just 19 when she was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023. Her family said she arrived to the outpost to serve as a “spotter” just two days prior to her abduction.

Berger is from Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. She has three siblings - a twin sister and two younger brothers. Her family said she has played the violin since the age of eight and has in the past volunteered with at-risk youth.

She turned 20 while in captivity.

1 hr 53 min agoHamas hands over Israeli soldier to Red Cross in Gaza

From CNN's Abbas Al Lawati and Tim Lister

Palestinian Hamas militants release female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who was held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a deal between Hamas and Israel, in Jabalya on Thursday.

Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier who was abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, has been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, video of the handover showed.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that one hostage had been handed to the ICRC.

Berger, who was held by Hamas, is the first of eight hostages due to be released Thursday. She was led from a building to a stage before being handed over to the ICRC.

Two Red Cross officials were seen speaking with a masked Hamas fighter shortly before the handover.

Two other Israeli hostages - Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses - scheduled to be released on Thursday, are held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which published a video of them early Thursday meeting and embracing.

Five Thai nationals abducted on October 7 are also due to be released. Israeli is also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday.

The hostages are due to be taken to different hospitals in Israel.

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2 hr 12 min agoMore on the three Israeli hostages due for release

From CNN's Lauren Izso and Lianne Kolirin

Arbel Yehoud was kidnapped from her home in the Nir Oz kibbutz, along with her partner Ariel Cunio, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said on Wednesday.

Gadi Moses, a grandfather and keen agronomist, also was taken from Nir Oz.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities targeted by Hamas in the attacks of October 7, 2023, with more than a quarter of its population of 400 being either killed or kidnapped.

A soldier walks among the debris of a burnt house at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, on November 21, 2023.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Osnat Peri, the chairwoman of Kibbutz Nir Oz, described the news of the releases as “an exciting moment for us, and another step on the long road to bringing all our loved ones home.”

Moses’ family said Wednesday they had “received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi’s return to us tomorrow,” thanking “the people of Israel for their embrace and support.”

The third Israeli hostage to be returned Thursday, Agam Berger, was a soldier abducted from a military base beside the Nahal Oz kibbutz.

2 hr 5 min agoIsraeli ban on UN Palestinian aid agency comes into effect, could be devastating for millions

From CNN Staff

Israelis take part in a protest outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) headquarters in Jerusalem on February 5.

Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance/Getty Images

An Israeli ban on the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) comes into effect today as Israel warns that it will “cease all cooperation” with the aid organization.

“UNRWA must halt its activities and vacate all its facilities in Jerusalem,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told UN Security Council members on Tuesday.

In late October, the Israeli parliament approved two bills, one barring UNRWA from operations within Israel, and another prohibiting Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA. The agency is a critical lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The vote was swiftly criticized by UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini, who said it violated international law and was “the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role toward providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees.”

The ban came after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. UNRWA has long maintained that Israel has not provided it with evidence against its former employees. The agency says it had regularly provided Israel with a full list of its staff members and has accused Israel of detaining and torturing some of its staffers, coercing them into making false confessions about ties to Hamas. A UN investigation found that nine of the agency’s employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack, and no longer work there.

Some context: The agency, which began by assisting about 750,000 Palestinian refugees in 1950, now serves some 5.9 million across the Middle East, many of whom live in refugee camps – now cities within cities – in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

In the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by a devastating Israeli war for more than a year, UNRWA serves some 1.7 million Palestinian refugees. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it assists around 871,500 refugees.

2 hr 22 min agoIsrael says three Israeli and five Thai hostages to be released in Gaza Thursday

From CNN's Lauren Izso and Lianne Kolirin

Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses

Hostages and Missing Families Forum

The three Israeli hostages due to be released in Gaza on Thursday were earlier named by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which also confirmed that five Thai nationals will be freed.

“The list of names received from Hamas today by the mediators Qatar and Egypt includes: Arbel Yehoud (29 years old), Agam Berger (19) and Gadi Moses (80),” the PMO said.

The names of the five Thai citizens to be freed have not been made public.

Israeli authorities are also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday. Of those, 32 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another 30 are children, according to Hamas.

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Former al Qaeda member named as Syria’s president for transitional period

By Eyad Kourdi and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

3 minute read

Published 6:38 PM EST, Wed January 29, 2025

Syria's transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Damascus, on Dec. 28, 2024.

Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP

Syria CNN —

Former al Qaeda member Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been named as Syria’s president for a transitional period.

“We announce the appointment of Commander Ahmad al-Sharaa as head of state during the transitional period. He will assume the duties of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent the country in international forums,” commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, spokesman for the Syria Military Operations Command, said in a statement Wednesday.

“The president is authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase, which will carry out its duties until a permanent constitution is enacted and put into effect,” Ghani added.

The command also announced several resolutions, including the suspension of the country’s constitution, the dissolution of the country’s parliament, and the dissolution of the former regime’s army and its Baath party.

Al-Sharaa was the leader of the main militant group that spearheaded the lightning offensive that led to the overthrow last year of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose regime had been in power for several decades.

His task now will be rebuilding a country torn apart by more than a decade of civil war that has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions more, according to the UN. The conflict broke out during the 2011 Arab Spring when the Assad regime suppressed a pro-democracy uprising and soon plunged into a full-scale war that pulled in other regional powers from Saudi Arabia and Iran to the United States and Russia and enabled ISIS to gain a foothold – for a while – in the country.

Shortly before he was named president, Al-Sharaa said the Assad regime had “left behind deep societal, economic, political and other wounds, and fixing them requires great wisdom, hard work and doubled effort.”

A sense of duty was what Syria “needs today more than ever,” he said.

“Just as we were determined in the past to liberate it, our duty now is to be determined to build and develop it,” Al-Sharaa added.

Who is Ahmad al-Sharaa?

Al-Sharaa became a Syrian “foreign fighter” in his early 20s, crossing into Iraq to fight the Americans when they invaded the country in the spring of 2003. That eventually landed him in the notorious US-run Iraqi prison, Camp Bucca, which became a key recruiting ground for terrorist groups, including what would become ISIS.

Freed from Camp Bucca, he crossed back into Syria and started fighting against the Baathist Assad regime, doing so with the backing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who would later become the founder of ISIS.

In Syria, he founded a militant group known as Jabhat al-Nusra (“the Victory Front” in English), which pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, but in 2016, he broke away from the terror group, according to the US Center for Naval Analyses.

Since then – unlike al Qaeda, which promoted a quixotic global holy war – Al-Sharaa’s group, now known by the initials HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), has undertaken the more prosaic job of trying to govern millions of people in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, providing basic services, according to the terrorism scholar Aaron Zelin who has written a book about HTS.

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