Four Lebanese Detainees Freed in Israel-ICRC Handover

Four Lebanese prisoners held in Israel were released and transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday, as part of a broader agreement between the two countries. The handover took place at the Naqoura border crossing in southern Lebanon, where an ICRC convoy was seen passing through a checkpoint near the city of Tyre.

Relatives waiting at the checkpoint confirmed the release. Mahmoud Ayash, brother of detainee Hussein Ayash, said his sibling had been held for over two months and called from the crossing to say he was with the ICRC. "I hope all our prisoners in Israeli prisons will be released and for all Lebanese citizens to be liberated," Ayash said.

Another relative, Ahmed Atwe, said he was hoping to see Mohammed Juheir, a fisherman from Naqoura detained at sea a year ago, among those freed. The ICRC, in a statement, confirmed the transfer of the remaining prisoners and reiterated its call for access to all detainees held in Israel, noting it has had no such access since October 2023.

The release follows an announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office that Israel agreed to free five Lebanese civilians in exchange for Lebanon's assistance in locating the remains of Lebanese Jewish citizens who went missing during the country's civil war in the 1980s. The first of the five detainees, identified as Malek Ghazi, was handed over on Thursday.

Officials said the exchange was facilitated by US mediation amid ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. The two countries, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, entered rare direct talks following the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in March. A US-brokered framework deal signed in June calls for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament, though implementation has stalled. Further talks are expected in Rome later this month.