What happend on the day three Israeli hostages were released from Hamas?

The release of Israeli hostages Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eli Sharabi on Saturday morning has ignited a storm of reactions online. Many users are making chilling comparisons between the hostages’ frail condition and the Muselmann, a term used during the Holocaust to describe Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who were starved to the brink of death.

The three hostages appeared exhausted and dangerously underweight, with protruding bones, sunken faces, and sharply defined clavicles and Adam’s apples—clear signs of severe malnutrition and muscle wasting.

Many on social media argue that these images bring history back to life, evoking the haunting appearance of Muselmann prisoners.

“The ceasefire deal must be implemented in full, including the release of the remaining hostages,” UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Saturday in a post on X/Twitter in response to the release of former hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami.

“They and their families have suffered an unimaginable ordeal,” he added.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar conveyed a message to his international counterparts worldwide on Saturday on the severity of the crimes Hamas committed against the hostages they’ve held captive.

“For over a year, the entire international community has danced to the false sound of the so-called ‘starvation’ propaganda in Gaza.

“But the pictures don't lie: The Hamas terrorists and the Gaza residents look great. The Israeli hostages look like Holocaust survivors and are the only ones in the photos who appear to have clearly suffered from starvation. 

“Hamas committed crimes against humanity on kidnapped civilians,” he continued. “The Hamas-Nazi evil must be eradicated.”

Yulie, Ella, and Natalie, the daughters of former hostage Ohad Ben Ami, spoke with their father on Saturday after his release from Hamas captivity, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum reported. The three are waiting for Ohad at Ichilov Hospital.

"Our father has emerged from the horror, and you can see the trauma he endured written on his face," Yulie, Ella, and Natalie stated. "But we are staying strong for him here, just as he stays strong for us, and soon, we'll be able to embrace him. We got our father back. Now, we must not stop until the last hostage is returned."

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not taking the conditions of the hostages seriously on Saturday after three hostages emerged from the Gaza Strip, appearing starved and in serious condition.

“Did you now see that the conditions of the hostages are serious?” Lapid asked. “Didn't you know before? Because it was written in the intelligence documents that were placed on your desk in recent months. You have seen these reports just like I have.”

The Prime Minister's Office had earlier stated that "In light of the dire condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations by the Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed not to overlook this and to take appropriate action."

Lapid responded by asking, “What does it help them now that you ‘ordered to take action?' And if there are [further] actions, why didn't you order them earlier?”

The three former hostages who were released from Hamas captivity on Saturday are with family members and are set to arrive at the hospital for treatment shortly, the IDF stated.

"The released hostage Or Levy is currently making his way on an Israeli air force helicopter to the hospital along with members of his family," the military stated. "At the hospital, he will be reunited with other members of his family and receive medical treatment.

Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi are also with their families and are set to take off for the hospital soon, the IDF added.
 
 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and two other leaders of the Palestinian group in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian state TV reported.

"You defeated the Zionist regime [Israel], which was, in fact, America's defeat," Khamenei, whose country supports Hamas in its war with Israel, told the Palestinian delegation. "You did not allow them to achieve any of their goals."

Egypt condemned on Saturday as "irresponsible" statements by Israeli officials suggesting establishing a Palestinian state on Saudi territory, according to a statement by Egypt's foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry said it considered the suggestion a "direct infringement of Saudi sovereignty," adding that the kingdom's security was a "red line for Egypt."