Hamas announces martyrdom of Mohammed al-Deif, number of prominent leaders

CAIRO – 30 January 2025: Spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubeida, announced the killing of military leader, Muhammad al-Deif on Thursday.

Abu Ubeida, also revealed the martyrdom of Marwan Issa, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Brigades, Ghazi Abu Tama'a, Commander of the Weapons and Combat Services Section, and Raed Thabet, Commander of the Human Resources Section, Commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade.

Israel released earlier on Thursday 110 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of the implementation of the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that came into force January 19.

The prisoners were released from Ofer prison in western Ramallah and will be transported to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The move comes hours after the International Committee of the Red Cross received Israeli captives Gadi Moses, 80, and Arbel Yahud, 29, in addition to five Thai workers who were released by Hamas under the phased Gaza deal.

The handover of captives took place outside the bombed house in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis of Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar, who was killed by Israel.

The captives were seen in a van that was slowly making its way through a huge crowd waiting at the handover site in Khan Younis.

The Red Cross vans that came to collect the released captive drove through an apocalyptic landscape of devastation by more than 15 months of the war.

Flanked by Palestinian resistance elements, the captives were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross members at the handover site.

Also, Israeli soldier Agam Berger was released by Hamas in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip and transferred to the Red Cross earlier in the day.

Mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US, Israel and Hamas reached a three-stage ceasefire agreement on January 15 that came into effect on January 19.

In phase one - the current phase - of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, a total of 33 Israeli captives are supposed to be freed in return for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.