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Five freed, one received
Israel announced it would release five Lebanese detainees held in areas under Israeli army control in southern Lebanon, while Beirut said it had received only one through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“no links to militant groups”
Reuters reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision came after Israel found the detainees had “no links to militant groups,” and that one of the five—Malek Kamal Ghazi—had already been handed over by the Red Cross at the Naqoura crossing.
The Anadolu Ajansı account said Netanyahu’s office tied the releases to efforts to “accelerate the process of determining the location of the remains of leaders of the Jewish community in Lebanon,” while a senior Lebanese military source told Anadolu that Beirut had received only one prisoner via the Red Cross.
Anadolu Ajansı also reported that the prisoner handover coincided with continuing Israeli incursions and arrests in southern Lebanon, including an Israeli force abducting three Lebanese from the town of Hulta in the Hasbaya district on Thursday morning.
In parallel, Naharnet said Israel released Lebanese captive Malek Ghazi and would release four more Lebanese captives as a diplomatic “gesture” to the government in Beirut amid ongoing negotiations.
Negotiations and competing frames
Naharnet said an Israeli official confirmed the releases were coordinated with the U.S. and within the framework of negotiations, and it cited a Lebanese political source at MTV saying the release of captives was “a dose of support for direct negotiations.”
The same Naharnet report said the issue was discussed in Jerusalem during a meeting between Netanyahu, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and it added that more than 30 Lebanese captives were still believed to be in Israel’s custody.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Amal Movement parliamentary bloc affiliated with Hezbollah renewed its rejection of the framework agreement under which the releases are taking place, calling it a “cover” for continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.
In Beirut, Anadolu Ajansı said the Lebanese government described negotiations with Israel as the only way to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty over its territory, and it called on Tel Aviv to implement the agreement in full.
Reuters framed the releases as part of a U.S.-mediated June framework agreement that included pledges to work towards the release of detainees and the search for and return of remains, while also describing an eventual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as the Lebanese army takes control and disarms Hezbollah.
What’s at stake next
Reuters said Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement in June that included pledges to work towards the release of detainees and the search for and return of remains, and it described the agreement as also envisaging an eventual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as the Lebanese army takes control and disarms Hezbollah.
“35 Lebanese detainees remained in Israel, including 20 civilians”
Anadolu Ajansı reported that since March 2, Israeli aggression against Lebanon has continued, resulting in 4,350 killed and 12,307 injured, as well as the displacement of more than a million people, according to Lebanese authorities.
Shafaq News said the Lebanese Army received a Lebanese national held by Israel through the ICRC, and it quoted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam saying the return of any Lebanese detainee is an important step toward resolving the issue while he pledged to continue efforts to secure the release of all Lebanese detainees held by Israel.
Reuters also reported that Israel still holds 35 Lebanese detainees, including 20 civilians, and it said sources denied reports that Ghazi was a Hezbollah member while describing the four others due to be released as civilians.
In the same Reuters account, Netanyahu’s office said Israel had already released one of the five—Malek Kamal Ghazi—captured in October 2025 and handed over by the Red Cross to Lebanese authorities at the Naqoura crossing, as Israel and Lebanon continued efforts to locate the remains of Jewish community leaders kidnapped and killed in the mid-1980s.