Israel to Release Five Lebanese Detainees as Goodwill Gesture

Lebanese media outlets report that Israel is expected to release five Lebanese detainees and transfer them back to Lebanon soon, via the Rosh HaNikra-A-Naqoura crossing. The move is being described as a "goodwill gesture." One of the individuals slated for release has been identified as Malek Kamal Ghazi, a 20-year-old Lebanese national. Arab reports suggest Ghazi may have already been returned.

Ghazi reportedly disappeared in October 2025 in the Einata-Rashiya area of eastern Lebanon. According to the Lebanese account, he left home for a workout and never returned, later being apprehended by Israeli security forces and taken into custody and interrogation in Israel. Details regarding the circumstances of the release or the agreement behind it have not been fully disclosed, nor have the identities of the other four detainees.

Transfers of detainees via the Rosh HaNikra area are not unprecedented. In March 2025, Israel released five Lebanese detainees to Lebanon through the International Committee of the Red Cross. At that time, four civilians and one Lebanese army soldier were reportedly freed.

The issue of Lebanese individuals held in Israel has become a significant demand from Beirut in recent years, with updated lists including detainees from various periods and incidents, particularly near A-Naqoura and in southern villages.

This reported release comes amid a particularly sensitive period in Israeli-Lebanese relations. Despite a ceasefire, military tensions persist around southern Lebanese hotspots, notably the Ali al-Tahir ridge. Hezbollah continues its operations in the area, while Israel exerts military pressure and warns against the organization establishing positions that threaten its forces. Concurrently, Lebanon is experiencing an internal debate regarding the implementation of an agreement aimed at a gradual Israeli withdrawal in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament and the expansion of the Lebanese army's control.