JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Palestinian group Hamas has announced the release of the last surviving hostages it has held in Gaza. This exchange comes as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, involving the release of approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
On Monday, 20 living hostages were let go, with a definitive account of their backgrounds and conditions. Sadly, many others, who were effectively declared dead, remain unaccounted for.
Overview of the Released Hostages
The majority of these hostages were taken during the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel. Among those released are:
- Evyatar David, 24, who was captured and later appeared frail in a video where he expressed despair over his fate.
- Alon Ohel, 24, and Avinatan Or, 32, who were specifically shown in distressing circumstances during their abduction.
In a heart-wrenching moment, a video captured the agonizing ordeal of Avinatan; his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, was seen desperately reaching out to him, pleading for his safety while being forced to walk beside abduction fugitives. Fortunately, Noa was rescued in June, and they have since been reunited following Avinatan’s release.
Hostages from Kibbutzim
Moreover, several hostages were abducted directly from their communities around Kibbutzim, which are small agricultural settlements bordering Gaza. These include:
- Twins Gali and Ziv Berman, both 28, along with brothers Ariel and David Cunio.
- David was captured alongside his wife Sharon and their very young daughters, who were released during a short ceasefire in November 2023.
Israeli Soldiers Involved
Two Israeli conscripts, Matan Angrest (22) and Nimrod Cohen (20), were also among those freed after being captured in the intense fighting commencing on October 7.
Foreign Hostages and Deceased Parties
There were three foreigners included in the group of remaining hostages still believed to be in Gaza, all previously declared dead. This includes two Thai construction workers and a Tanzanian student. Recently, the body of a Nepalese student, Bipin Joshi, was returned by Hamas.
All of the current hostages still in Gaza have been officially declared deceased by Israeli intelligence and forensic evaluations. This unfortunate conclusion stems from both forensic evidence and ongoing assessments of information gathered prior to their captivation.
It’s reported that recovery of deceased bodies may be a slow process, as the locations of all burial sites remain unidentified. An international task force is expected to assist in locating those remains.
(Reporting by Pesha Magid and Maayan Lubell; Editing by David Holmes, Ros Russell, and Michael Perry)
