Israel Releases Lebanese Prisoner Malek Ghazi in Rare U.S.-Mediated Deal

Israel has released Lebanese civilian Malek Kamal Ghazi, marking the first such handover since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began six months ago. Ghazi was transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Naqoura crossing before being handed over to the Lebanese Army and taken to Tyre.

The release is part of a broader arrangement under which Israel agreed to free five Lebanese civilians detained in southern Lebanon. According to the Israeli prime minister’s office, the move followed Lebanese assistance in efforts to locate the remains of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were abducted and killed during the civil war in the 1980s. Israel said the five detainees were found not to have been involved in terrorism.

The deal was heavily mediated by the United States. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam publicly thanked Washington and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa for helping secure Ghazi’s release, while reiterating that Beirut would continue pressing for the return of all remaining prisoners, clarification on the fate of the missing, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

The other four detainees were initially expected to be released on the same day, but their handover was postponed, with Lebanese sources saying they could be freed shortly afterward. The development comes as broader U.S.-brokered negotiations between Lebanon and Israel remain difficult, with prisoner exchanges now emerging as one of the few areas where limited progress is still possible.

The significance therefore goes beyond Ghazi himself. In the middle of a war and stalled negotiations, the release shows that targeted humanitarian deals between Lebanon and Israel can still be reached through U.S. mediation, potentially creating a channel for further prisoner releases and other confidence-building steps.