Lebanese prisoner held in Israel released and handed over to his country
Following the recent Israel-Hezbollah war, a Lebanese prisoner held in Israel was released and sent back to his country under a US-mediated agreement.
Malek Ghazi, a Lebanese prisoner detained by Israeli forces and released in the first prisoner exchange following the recent war, was handed over to the Lebanese army through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Handover via the Red Cross
A Lebanese citizen held in detention in Israel was released on Thursday. This development marked the first prisoner handover to take place since the beginning of the recent Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out over the past six months.
Background of the Agreement
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that it was agreed to release five Lebanese civilians in exchange for Lebanon's assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were kidnapped and killed during the civil war in the 1980s.
Border Transfer
Malek Ghazi, the first released prisoner, was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at the border crossing in the southern Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura and was subsequently transferred to the Lebanese military intelligence office in the city of Tyre.
Investigations and Expressions of Gratitude
Netanyahu's statement indicated that interrogations of the five Lebanese detainees revealed they were not members of a terrorist organization and had not been involved in terrorism. Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the US and the country's ambassador in Beirut for helping secure the release.