Red Cross Confirms Transfer of Five Detainees from Israel to Lebanon

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed the transfer of five Lebanese detainees from Israel to Lebanon, with one moved on Thursday and four on Friday. The ICRC facilitated the transfers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that the release of these detainees is a political step within the framework of negotiations with Lebanon. Netanyahu had previously instructed efforts to locate and return the bodies of Jewish community leaders in Lebanon, who were abducted and murdered by terror organizations in the mid-1980s. Netanyahu has been involved in this issue for decades, dating back to his tenure as Israel's UN ambassador. Significant efforts have been made recently by both Lebanon and Israel to locate these individuals, including operations on the ground.

In response to the Lebanese government's efforts, Israel decided to release five Lebanese civilians who had been detained in areas controlled by the IDF in southern Lebanon. Investigations revealed they were not members of a terror organization and had no reason for continued detention in Israel. The detainee released on Thursday was identified by Arab media as Malek Ghazi, who had disappeared in the Beqaa Governorate in eastern Lebanon.

Between 1984 and 1986, Hezbollah abducted 12 leaders of the Lebanese Jewish community. Some were murdered, while others were used by Hezbollah in attempts to pressure Israel into withdrawing from Lebanon. Hezbollah later announced the murder of additional abducted Jews after the Israeli government refused to negotiate.