Jerusalem (AP) - The bodies of four Israelis, including the last female and child hostages in Gaza, were released by Hamas on Thursday. This brings the total number of captives freed to 28 since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Jan. 19.
The bodies returned to Israel are believed to include Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were taken during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Additionally, the body of one of the oldest hostages held was also returned and awaits formal identification.
As part of the ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages in Gaza, eight of whom are deceased, are set to be freed in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Five Thai citizens were also released last month in a separate agreement.
Hamas militants initially took 251 hostages during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the conflict in Gaza. While over 60 hostages remain in Gaza, about half are presumed dead, with the rest either released, rescued, or their bodies recovered.
Hostages Returned So Far:
- Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas: Abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Shiri and her sons were returned, with Yarden Bibas released earlier this month.
- Oded Lifshitz: One of the oldest hostages, his body was returned. Oded and his wife, Yocheved, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- Sagui Dekel Chen: An Israeli-American taken captive while working on bus conversions.
- Iair Horn: An Israel-Argentinian captive, his brother remains in captivity.
- Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov: An Israeli-Russian engineer held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
- Eli Sharabi: Taken from Kibbutz Beeri, his wife and daughters were killed during the attack.
- Ohad Ben Ami: A nature enthusiast and accountant taken with his wife from Kibbutz Beeri.
- Or Levy: Abducted near the Nova music festival, his wife was killed during the attack.
- Yarden Bibas: Released, dimming hopes for his family's survival.
- Keith Siegel: Abducted with his wife, Aviva, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
- Ofer Kalderon: A French-Israeli captive taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- Arbel Yehoud: Taken with her boyfriend from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- Agam Berger: A violin player from Tel Aviv enlisted in the army.
- Gadi Moses: An expert agronomist taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- Watchara Sriaoun: One of 16 Thai workers abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- Sathian Suwannakham and Surasak Rumnao: Thai workers taken from Nir Oz and Yesha, respectively.
The return of these hostages marks a significant step in the ongoing efforts to secure the release of all captives and bring closure to their families.
