Israel frees five Lebanese detainees in Red Cross-mediated handover
Israel has released five Lebanese detainees in a handover facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in a development linked to US-brokered efforts to ease tensions between the two countries. The transfer took place on Friday and was described as the first such handover since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the release and thanked the United States and the ICRC for their roles.
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The ICRC said it facilitated the transfer of five people released from Israeli detention at the request of the relevant parties. Reports from the scene said a convoy of ICRC vehicles moved towards the Naqoura border crossing in the morning before later returning and entering a Lebanese army barracks in Tyre. The release followed a pledge by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that authorities would free five Lebanese prisoners, and one detainee, identified as Malek Ghazi, had already been released the day before.
Among those reported freed were Hussein Ayash, from the village of Harouf, and Mohammed Juheir, a fisherman from the border town of Naqoura. The handover comes against the backdrop of a wider conflict that has left dozens of Lebanese citizens believed to be held in Israeli detention centres, including civilians and Hezbollah members captured during fighting in southern Lebanon. The ICRC said it has not had access to detainees held in Israel since October 2023 and called for its teams to be granted access to the remaining prisoners.
The release is significant because it is tied to talks aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, with Washington acting as a broker. It also highlights the continuing human cost of the conflict, with families in Lebanon still seeking information about relatives who may be detained, dead or unaccounted for. For Beirut, the handover is a rare concrete outcome from diplomatic efforts that have so far focused on reducing cross-border violence and addressing detainee issues.
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The broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, leading to more than a year of hostilities and then a full-scale war in 2024. The latest release is the first known prisoner transfer of this kind since that period of fighting began, underscoring how limited direct progress has been on detainee questions. It also shows the continuing role of the ICRC in arranging transfers where formal contact between the sides remains constrained.
What remains unclear is whether the release of five detainees marks the start of a wider exchange or a one-off gesture. It is also not clear how many Lebanese citizens remain in Israeli detention or whether further handovers will follow. The next developments to watch are any new statements from Beirut, Tel Aviv and the ICRC, and whether the US-led talks produce additional steps on prisoners or a broader de-escalation.
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