Five Lebanese civilians who were held in Israel were transferred to Lebanon, including one who was transferred on Thursday, with the assistance of the Iaccording to a statement by the organization.
The statement comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel released five Lebanese civilians who were not suspected of terrorism as a goodwill gesture in talks with Lebanon. He added that Lebanon had helped locate the bodies of Lebanese Jewish community leaders killed by terrorist groups in the 1980s, and that the five were freed after questioning found no involvement in terrorism.
An Israeli source familiar with the matter told Haaretz that the release was part of the negotiations with Lebanon, adding that Israel agreed to free the civilians in exchange for information on the bodies. Israel released the five, whose ages and genders were not specified, after U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa handed over the information in a meeting with Netanyahu several days ago.
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Lebanese border, April. Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters
Lebanese border, April. Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters
The Red Cross added that many families in Lebanon are still waiting for answers about the fate of their loved ones, who “may be detained, dead, or missing.” The organization said that since October 2023, the ICRC has not been granted access to detainees held in Israeli detention facilities, including Lebanese nationals.
The Israeli military has yet to respond to Haaretz’s inquiries on how long the civilians, whom Israeli forces captured in occupied parts of Lebanon and who weren’t suspected of terrorism, were held in Israeli detention.