- Eight of the remaining 26 hostages due for release by Hamas are confirmed dead, according to Israel.
- Seven women have been freed in exchange for over 290 Palestinian prisoners since the ceasefire began.
- Israel’s military campaign continues after the October 7 attack, with over 47,000 fatalities reported in Gaza.
Israel has confirmed that eight of the remaining 26 hostages due to be released by Hamas during the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal are dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer reported that Israel had received a list from Hamas overnight, which aligned with Israeli intelligence. “The list from Hamas matches Israel’s intelligence, so I can share with you that… eight have been killed by Hamas,” he said, without naming the victims. The families of the deceased hostages have been informed of the tragic situation.
So far, seven women have been freed in exchange for over 290 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails since the ceasefire began on January 19.
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On Sunday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Hamas had agreed to release three hostages—female civilian Arbel Yehud, female soldier Agam Berger, and another—on Thursday. Three additional hostages are set to be released on Saturday.
This release follows Israel’s military campaign against Hamas after the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages. Since the attack, more than 47,310 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Currently, Israel states that 87 hostages remain in captivity, with 34 presumed dead. Additionally, three Israelis were abducted before the war, one of whom is confirmed dead.
One of the hostages Israel expects to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal is Or Levy, 34, who was attending the Nova music festival with his wife, Eynav, on October 7, 2023.
After Hamas gunmen attacked, the couple fled to a roadside bomb shelter, where Eynav tragically died, and Or was taken captive and transported to Gaza. Their son, Almog, is now three years old.
In an emotional interview over the weekend in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, Or’s brother, Michael, described the agonizing wait for news on the remaining 26 hostages. He likened it to “a reality the devil himself invented” and a cruel “evil reality show that Hamas is enjoying.” He expressed fear that Hamas might delay Or’s release and emphasized that until his brother is home, he would not believe the ordeal is truly over.
Following the release of four female Israeli soldiers in the second phase of the ceasefire, the Israeli military voiced “extreme concern” about the welfare of three hostages—Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Kfir (2) and Ariel (5). While Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military has not confirmed their deaths, maintaining that they are among the 33 hostages due to be released.
Negotiations for the second phase, which will involve the release of the remaining hostages, are set to begin on February 4, 2025. This phase will also require more prisoner exchanges, a full Israeli troop withdrawal, and steps toward restoring “sustainable calm.”
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The third phase will focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, which could take years, and the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is calling on the Israeli government to implement all three phases and ensure the safe return of every hostage. “We are not whole without them all. Our nation needs everyone at home, together. Until the last hostage,” they stated.
In a recent statement, the deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps revealed that some of the seven newly released hostages had spent “the entire time in tunnels underground.” He added that their conditions improved in the days leading up to their release, including being allowed to shower, change clothes, and receive better food.
