Today, Thursday, Israel handed over the captive Lebanese army, Malek Kamal Ghazi, through the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Naqoura border crossing.
Israeli sources said that the step comes as a “goodwill gesture” within the framework of indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, while Ghazi is currently undergoing medical examinations to check on his health condition.
Ghazi, 20 years old, went missing in October 2025 in the Ain Ata area of Rashaya District, while practicing sports. Today, he was transferred via the Naqoura crossing to the Lebanese side, in an operation that took place in coordination with international forces.
In this context, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israel, in coordination with the United States, is expected to release 5 prisoners of war to Lebanon today, in a step that falls within the ongoing negotiations.
The detainees file was officially presented during the seventh round of talks held in Rome last August under American sponsorship, where the two parties exchanged preliminary lists of the names of detainees and missing persons, while Lebanon requested that the first step be the release of a group of civilian detainees.
On August 7, President Joseph Aoun announced that “positive progress” had been achieved in the issue of prisoners, without announcing at that time a final agreement regarding additional releases.
In March 2025, Israel had previously released five Lebanese who were detained, in a move it described as “a gesture by the Lebanese president,” and was implemented in coordination with Washington and in conjunction with progress in the border talks.
