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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Guardian staff and agencies

Who are the Israeli hostages freed by Hamas during Gaza truce?

hostages released on Wednesday 29 November. Top left to right: Raz Ben Ami, Itay Regev, Amit Shani, Ofir Engel. Second row: Irena Tait, Raaya Rotem, Yelena Trupanob, Gali Tarshansky.
Some of the hostages released on Wednesday 29 November. Top left to right: Raz Ben Ami, Itay Regev, Amit Shani, Ofir Engel. Second row: Irena Tait, Raya Rotem, Yelena Trupanob, Gali Tarshansky. Photograph: Twitter

Thursday

Aisha Ziyadne, 17, and Bilal Ziyadne, 18

Bilal and Aisha Ziyadne
Bilal and Aisha Ziyadne. Photograph: Twitter

The siblings were among the Israeli hostages to be released on Thursday.

The pair were abducted from the kibbutz Holit together with their older brother, Hamza, and their father, Yousef.

Since the day of the assault, the extended Ziyadne family, who are Bedouins, has been holding a permanent vigil outside the house of Yousef, the Times of Israel reported.

Ilana Gritzewsky, 30

Ilana Gritzewsky.
Ilana Gritzewsky. Photograph: AP

Ilana Gritzewsky, one of the two Mexican hostages held in Gaza, has been released, Mexico’s foreign minister, Alicia Bárcena, has confirmed.

In a social media post, Bárcena thanked the Qatari government for its “invaluable mediation”, adding that Mexico continues to work for the release of its other citizen, Orion Hernandez.

Nili Margalit, 41

Nili Margalit.
Nili Margalit. Photograph: AP

Taken from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas militants on 7 October, Nili Margalit was released on Thursday evening.

She is a nurse at the Soroka hospital in Beersheba and had been hiding in a safe room with her dog when she was snatched.

The Times of Israel reported she had nursed other hostages in Gaza while being held captive.

Shani Goren, 29

Shani Goren.
Shani Goren. Photograph: AP

Shani Goren, an Israeli children’s education counsellor who reportedly cared for kids while being held in Gaza, has been freed.

Goren had been helping children also being held in captivity for the weeks they spent apart from their families and homes, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Sapir Cohen, 29

Sapir Cohen.
Sapir Cohen. Photograph: AP

Sapir Cohen was kidnapped with her boyfriend Sasha in Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October, as well as his grandmother Irena Tati and mother Yelena Trupanov, who were released on Wednesday.

Friends of the family, who immigrated from Russia 25 years ago, eventually learned that Sasha’s father Vitaly Trupanov was killed by Hamas militants.

Mia Schem, 21

Mia Schem reunites with her family after being released.
Mia Schem reunites with her family after being released. Photograph: Prime Minister’s Office/Reuters

Mia Schem, a French-Israeli woman who was abducted from the Supernova music festival in Israel and shown in the first Hamas video of a hostage speaking from captivity, has been released.

Schem, 21, who had been training to be a tattoo artist, was shown in a 78-second video broadcast on Hamas’s Telegram channel last month with an injured arm that was being treated by an unidentified medical worker. In the clip, she asked to be returned to her family as soon as possible.

Amit Soussana, 40

Amit Soussana.
Amit Soussana. Photograph: Reuters

On 7 October, Amit Soussana, a lawyer, was at home sick with a fever at the apartment where she lived alone on the Kfar Aza kibbutz. She was in contact with her family, saying she heard shooting.

“They’re attacking the kibbutz,” she wrote in a message. She said there were gunmen outside her window. “It’s scary, it doesn’t seem real.” She said she was going to hide in a wardrobe in her safe room.

Wednesday

Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73

Irena Tati
Irena Tati. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Trupanov and Tati were released by Hamas in what the terror group called a “gesture” to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Trupanov and Tati, who have dual Israeli and Russian citizenship, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during an attack in which Trupanov’s husband, Vitaly, was killed.

Her son Sasha and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen are still hostages.

Gali Tarshansky, 13

Gali Tarshanksy.
Gali Tarshansky. Photograph: AP

Tarshansky was taken hostage by Hamas from her home on Kibbutz Be’eri. When the gunmen entered her family’s safe room, they killed her brother Lior as Tarshansky and her father Ilya jumped out of the window. Ilya survived and was not taken captive, the Times of Israel reported.

Ofir Engel, 17

Ofir Engel
Ofir Engel. Photograph: AP


Ofir was taken by Hamas during the deadly attack on Kibbutz Be’eri.

His aunt Yael Engel Lichi, 52, told the Jewish Chronicle last month that Ofir was visiting his girlfriend in the kibbutz near Sderot at the time.

Amit Shani, 16

Amit Shani
Amit Shani. Photograph: AP

Amit was the only member of his family kidnapped on 7 October during the massacre in Kibbutz Be’eri.

He was kidnapped in front of his mother Tal, 47, the Times of Israel reported.

Itay Regev, 18

Itay Regev
Itay Regev. Photograph: AP

Regev and his sister Maya were kidnapped at the Supernova desert rave on 7 October and were bound and tied and put on the back of a pickup truck. Maya, 21, was released on 25 November.

Yarden Roman-Gat, 36

Yarden Roman-Gat
Yarden Roman-Gat. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Roman-Gat was abducted barefoot from Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October.

Earlier this month, his family and friends wore white shirts and marched barefoot in solidarity with Roman-Gat.

Raya Rotem, 54

Raya Rotem
Raya Rotem. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Rotem and her daughter Hila were taken hostage in Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October.

The pair had been hiding in the safe room of their home.

Rotem messaged her brother, telling him that she and Hila were being abducted and taken to Gaza, the Times of Israel reported. Her daughter was released on Saturday 25 November (see below).

Raz Ben-Ami, 57

Raz Ben-Ami
Raz Ben-Ami. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Ben-Ami and her husband Ohad Ben-Ami, 57, were taken hostage from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri.

One of their three daughters, Ela, was also in Be’eri and survived. Ohad remains captive in Gaza.

Liam Or, 18

Liam Or
Liam Or. Photograph: AP

Or, his uncle Dror, 48, and his cousins Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were taken hostage at their home in Kibbutz Be’eri.

Dror’s wife, Yonat, mother of Noam and Alma, was killed in the attack on 7 October.

Noam and Alma’s older brother, Yahli, survived. Noam and Alma were released on 25 November.

Liat Beinin Atzili, 49

Liat Beinin Atzili
Liat Beinin Atzili. Photograph: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Reuters

The Israeli-American dual citizen was captured along with her husband, Aviv Atzili, from Kibbutz Nir Or. During the attack, the couple’s house was burned down.

The US president, Joe Biden, said on Wednesday that he had spoken to Liat Beinin Atzili’s mother and father. “They’re very appreciative and things are moving well,” he said. “She’ll soon be home with her three children.”

Moran Stela Yanai, 40

Moran Stela Yanai
Moran Stela Yanai. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Yanai, a jewellery designer, was kidnapped at the Nova music festival by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.

Her family recognised her as among the hostages from a video circulating on TikTok, the Associated Press reported.

Tuesday

Mia Leimberg, 17, her mother, Gabriela, 59, and aunt, Clara Marman, 63

Mother and daughter Gabriela Leimberg and Mia Leimberg call their family shortly after their arrival in Israel.
Mother and daughter Gabriela Leimberg and Mia Leimberg call their family shortly after their arrival in Israel. Photograph: Government Press Office/Reuters

Mia, the youngest hostage released on Tuesday, her mother and aunt were all abducted from Nir Yitzhak kibbutz.

Originally from Jerusalem, the Leimbergs were visiting Marman, Gabriela’s sister, when Nir Yitzhak was attacked on 7 October.

Marman’s partner, Luis Har, and brother, Fernando Marman, were also taken hostage and remain in Gaza.

Ditza Heiman, 84

Ditza Heiman
Ditza Heiman. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

The video of Heiman’s abduction in a car, alongside the testimony of a neighbour, was the only proof of life her family had until now.

Living alone in Nir Oz kibbutz, the widow and former social worker had taken refuge in her safe room.

When friends attempted to reach the great-grandmother on the day of the attack, her phone rang for hours, until someone speaking in Arabic answered at around 4pm.

Tamar Metzger, 78

Tamar Metzger.
Tamar Metzger. Photograph: AP

Metzger, a mother of three, and her husband, Yoram, 80, were abducted from their home in Nir Oz.

Yocheved Lifshitz, a hostage released on 23 October, had provided the family with proof of life, saying she saw the couple in Gaza.

She was released without her husband.

Ofelia Roitman, 77

Ofelia Roitman.
Ofelia Roitman. Photograph: AP

On 7 October, Roitman’s family lost contact with her shortly before 10am, while she was in her safe room.

That evening, when soldiers inspected her house, they found no sign of a struggle, suggesting that the Argentinian national had been abducted.

Her husband, hospitalised after a fall, was absent at the time of the attack.

Ada Sagi

Ada Sagi
Ada Sagi. Photograph: AP

Sagi, who has lived alone in Nir Oz since her husband died of cancer, was abducted from her safe room.

Her son Noam Sagi, who lives in London, had no news of his mother until he saw a video online of a stranger in his mother’s garden.

Ada, who suffers from asthma, had been due to visit him to celebrate her 75th birthday.

Noralin Agojo, 60

Noralin Agojo.
Noralin Agojo. Photograph: handout

Philippines-born Agojo was abducted from Nirim, where she was visiting friends on 7 October along with her partner Gideon Babani, who was killed in the attack.

Before her capture, Agojo called her brother Exo and told him he might not see her again.

Meirav Tal, 53

Meirav Tal
Meirav Tal. Photograph: AP

Tal was freed after the release of her partner’s two children, Yagil and Or Yaakov, on Monday.

Tal and the children’s father, Yair Yaakov, who remains in Gaza, were abducted when militants stormed their home in Nir Oz as they were hiding in a safe room.

The children, who were staying with their mother, were taken into Gaza separately.

Rimon Kirsht, 36

Rimon Kirsht
Rimon Kirsht. Photograph: AP

Abducted from her home in Nirim, Kirsht was taken along with her partner, Yagev Buchstab, 34, who has not been released.

Kirsht sent her mother a voice message at about 8.30am on 7 October, a relative told the media. The message ended with the sounds of militants shouting and firing shots.

Hours later, when Israeli security forces asked residents of the community to gather, Kirsht and Buchstab were missing and their house was empty.

Monday

Karina Engelbert (also known as Engel), 51, and her two daughters, Mika, 18, and Yuval, 11.

Karina Engelbert, 51, Mika Engel, 18, and Yuval Engel, 11, who were released after being taken hostage
Karina Engelbert, 51, Mika Engel, 18, and Yuval Engel, 11, who were released after being taken hostage. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Their father, Ronen Engel, 55, remains in Hamas captivity. The couple’s eldest son, Tom, serves in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Haaretz reported.

Karina Engelbert’s family said she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, and recovered about two months before she was kidnapped on 7 October. Her sister said they spoke by phone on the day of the Hamas attacks.

Eitan Yahalomi, 12

Former Israeli hostage 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi reunited with his mother following his release
Israeli former hostage 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi is reunited with his mother following his release. Photograph: Israel Defense Forces/AFP/Getty Images

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was released but the Times of Israel reports his father, Ohad, remains in Gaza as a hostage.

Images released by the Israeli military showed the French-Israeli child reunited with his mother, who gripped him tightly to her.

Erez Kalderon, 12 and Sahar Kalderon, 16

This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows Erez Kalderon, 12, released from captivity.
This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows Erez Kalderon, 12, released from captivity. Photograph: AP
This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows Sahar Kalderon, 16, released 27 November after 52 days in Hamas captivity
This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows Sahar Kalderon, 16, released on 27 November after 52 days in Hamas captivity. Photograph: AP

Erez Kalderon and sister Sahar were seized from their family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Times of Israel reports their father, Ofer, remains a hostage in Gaza.

Ido Dan, a relative, spoke of the joy at their release on Monday mixed with anxiety about their father who is still being held.

“It is difficult to go from a state of endless anxiety about their fate to a state of relief and joy,” Dan said. “This is an exciting and heart-filling moment but … it is the beginning of a difficult rehabilitation process for Sahar and Erez, who are still young and have been through an unbearable experience.”

Yagil, 12, and Or Yaakov, 16

This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows brothers Yagil Yaakov, 12, and Or Yaakov, 16, released today
This undated photo released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters shows brothers Yagil Yaakov, 12, and Or Yaakov, 16, released on Monday. Photograph: AP

Yagil and Or Yaakov were initially captured when they were sleeping in their Kibbutz Nir Oz house, according to the Times of Israel. They have now been released, but their father, Yair, and his girlfriend, Meirav, are reportedly still in Gaza

Sharon Aloni-Cunio and three-year-old twins Emma and Yuli

Hostages Sharon Aloni-Cunio, 34, Emma Cunio, 3, and Yuli Cunio, 3, are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross
Hostages Sharon Aloni-Cunio, 34, Emma Cunio, 3, and Yuli Cunio, 3, are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Photograph: Al-Qassam Brigades, Military Wing Of Hamas/Reuters

Members of an extended family who were kidnapped in Nir Oz. Sharon’s husband, David, was also abducted but has not been released. Sharon’s sister Danielle and her daughter Amelia, five, were visiting the family at the time of the kidnapping and were released on Friday

Sunday

Elma Avraham, 84

Elma Avraham
Elma Avraham. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

The artist was on the phone with a neighbour on 7 October when armed men burst into her home in Nahal Oz kibbutz.

Her son Uri Rawitz, with whom she had also spoken earlier, said Elma had not managed to lock the door to the safe room in her house.

Uri later received a photo of his mother being taken away on a motorcycle by armed fighters with another hostage.

Avraham’s second son, who also lives in Nahal Oz, escaped the attack.

On Sunday, Avraham was transferred to the Soroka medical centre in Beersheba, southern Israel, whose director, Shlomi Kodesh, said she was “in life-threatening condition”.

Aviva Siegel, 62

Aviva Siegel
Aviva Siegel. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Siegel was taken from her home in the Kfar Aza kibbutz along with her American husband, Keith, 64, who is still being held.

Aviva, a schoolteacher, was born in South Africa but moved to Israel when she was eight. The couple have four children and five grandchildren.

Hagar Brodetz, 40, and her children, Ofri, 10, Yuval, eight, and Oria, four

Hagar Brodetz, Yuval, Ofri and Oria
Hagar Brodetz, Yuval, Ofri and Oria. Photograph: Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Hagar Brodetz’s husband, Avihai Brodetz, said he was trying to defend Kfar Aza kibbutz when his wife and their three children were kidnapped.

Several days later he found out they had survived the attack but had been abducted along with Avigail, a neighbour’s child who had taken refuge in their home.

Ofri, the eldest child, marked her 10th birthday in captivity in Gaza. Her younger brothers Yuval and Oria are aged eight and four.

Avigail Idan, four

Avigail Idan
Avigail Idan. Photograph: family handout

After seeing her parents killed at Kfar Aza, Avigail, who holds US citizenship, took refuge with the Brodetz family, and was kidnapped with them.

Michael and Amalya, her brother and sister, escaped the attack by hiding in a closet.

Avigail had her fourth birthday in Gaza on Friday.

Chen Almog-Goldstein and her children, Agam, 17, Gal, 11, and Tal, nine

Tal Goldstein Almog (left) and his brother Gal, Chen Goldstein Almog, and Agam Goldstein-Almog
Tal Goldstein Almog (left) and his brother Gal, Chen Goldstein Almog, and Agam Goldstein-Almog. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

A 48-year-old social worker, Almog-Goldstein was kidnapped from Kfar Aza kibbutz with three of her four children.

The children’s father, Nadav Goldstein, and Yam, the eldest daughter, were killed in the attack.

They are members of the family of Doron Almog, a former high-ranking army officer and current chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, a non-profit organisation that encourages Jews to immigrate to Israel.

Sisters Dafna Elyakim, 15, and Ela, eight

Dafna Elyakim and Ela Elyakim
Dafna Elyakim and Ela Elyakim. Photograph: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/AP

The sisters were abducted from the home of their father, Noam Elyakim, in Nahal Oz kibbutz.

The day after the attack, their mother, Maayan Zin, saw a photo on WhatsApp of Dafna “sitting in pyjamas on a mattress in Gaza”.

The bodies of the girls’ father, his partner, Dikla, and her son, Tomer, were found riddled with bullets in an empty lot.

Before he was shot, 17-year-old Tomer had been told by militants to go door to door and speak in Hebrew to convince his neighbours to leave their shelters. Ela and Dafna also hold Hungarian nationality, according to media reports.

Ron Krivoy, 25

Ron Krivoy
Ron Krivoy. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

The Russian-Israeli worked as a sound technician at the Nova music festival attacked by the militants.

Initially he managed to escape and hide in a ditch, his sister Julia told Israeli media, but by noon an Arab-speaking person was answering his phone.

The youngest of three siblings, Krivoy was born in Israel, and, according to his father, had survived two car accidents and a fall into a sewer.

Hamas said he was being released outside the truce deal with Israel.

Saturday

Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13

Hila Rotem Shoshani embracing her uncle at a hospital in Israel after being released by Hamas.
Hila Rotem Shoshani embracing her uncle at a hospital in Israel after being released by Hamas. Photograph: Israel Army/AFP/Getty Images

Hila was abducted along with her mother, Raya, and friend Emily (see below). Raya was released four days later.

Emily Hand, nine

Emily Hand embracing her father at a hospital in Israel after being released
Emily Hand embracing her father at a hospital in Israel after being released. Photograph: Israel Army/AFP/Getty Images

Emily was at a sleepover at Hila’s house when she was abducted. The young Israeli-Irish girl celebrated her ninth birthday in captivity on 17 November, according to her father.

Shoshan Haran, 67, her daughter Adina Shoham, 38, and Adina’s children Yahel, three, and Naveh, eight

Shoshan Haran, Adina, Naveh and Yahel, after being released by Hamas
Shoshan Haran, Adina, Naveh and Yahel, after being released by Hamas. Photograph: Israeli Prime Minister’S Office/Reuters

All were abducted from the Be’eri kibbutz, while Shoham and her children were visiting Haran. Shoham and her children also hold German dual nationality through Adina’s father, Avshalom Haran, who was killed in the attack.

Sharon Avigdori, 52, and her daughter Noam, 12

Sharon and Noam Avigdori
Sharon and Noam Avigdori. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

All were abducted from the Be’eri kibbutz, while Shoham and her children were visiting Haran. Shoham and her children also hold German dual nationality through Adina’s father, Avshalom Haran, who was killed in the attack.

Shoham’s aunt Sharon Avigdori, a psychologist, and her daughter Noam were also visiting Haran.

Shiri Weiss, 53, and her daughter Noga Weiss, 18

Shiri Weiss (left) and her daughter Noga
Shiri Weiss (left) and her daughter Noga. Photograph: Hamas Media Office/AFP/Getty Images

Weiss, a 53-year-old accountant, and daughter Noga were abducted from their home in the Be’eri kibbutz. According to the accounts of their relatives, with whom Noga was in contact via WhatsApp during the assault, the young woman was hiding under a bed when her mother was abducted.

Driven out by smoke that filled her house, she tried to hide outside, where she was spotted. Her father, Ilan Weiss, had left his home at dawn that day to defend his kibbutz. He was also taken hostage.

Siblings Noam Or, 17, and Alma Or, 13

Alma Or and Noam Or.
Alma Or and Noam Or. Photograph: AP

The two teenagers were abducted from the Be’eri Kibbutz in the company of their father, Dror Or, and their cousin Liam, 18. Their mother, Yonat, was killed in the attack.

Their elder brother, Yahli, who is doing military service in northern Israel, was not at home. Ahal Besorai, the teenagers’ uncle, said they did not know that their mother had been killed until after they were released.

Maya Regev, 21

Maya Regev
Maya Regev. Photograph: Hamas Media Office/AFP/Getty Images

Regev was abducted with her younger brother, Itay, 18, as they tried to flee the Nova music festival. She was hit by gunfire while on the phone with their father, who tried in vain to locate their position.

A few hours later, the siblings were seen in video circulating online tied to the back of a pickup truck. Originally from Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, Maya and Itay had returned to Israel the previous day after celebrating their mother’s birthday abroad. Itay was released on Wednesday.

Friday

Munder family: Keren, 54, her son Ohad, 9, and her mother, Ruth, 78

Ohad Munder meets his father, brother and family members at the Schneider children’s medical center, Israel
Ohad Munder meets his father, brother and family members at the Schneider children’s medical center, Israel. Photograph: AP

Ohad turned nine in captivity. He loves Rubik cubes. His mother, who teaches children with special needs, was visiting relatives in Nir Oz on the day Hamas attacked. Ruth was a librarian and tailor before she retired.

Ohad’s grandfather, Avraham, 78, remains in captivity in Gaza. His uncle – Ruth and Avraham’s son – Roee, 50, was killed in the attack.

Asher family: Doron Katz-Asher, 34, her daughters Raz, four, and Aviv, two

Aviv Asher, her sister Raz, and mother, Doron, meet Yoni, Raz and Aviv’s father and Doron’s husband
Aviv Asher, her sister Raz, and mother, Doron, meet Yoni, Raz and Aviv’s father and Doron’s husband. Photograph: Schneider Children’s Medical Center Spokesperson/Reuters

Doron, an accountant, lives in Ganot Hadar. She was visiting relatives in Nir Oz at the time of the attack and the family’s abduction was captured on video posted on social media. Her mother, Efrat Katz, was killed on 7 October.

Efrat’s partner, Gadi Mozes, was kidnapped with his ex-wife, Margalit Mozes. She was among those released on Friday.

Aloni family: Danielle, 45, and her daughter, Amilia, 5

Danielle and Amelia Aloni meet family members
Danielle and Amelia Aloni meet family members. Photograph: AP

The pair were visiting Danielle’s sister Sharon Aloni-Cunio in Nir Oz. The whole extended family were kidnapped, including Sharon, her husband, David Cunio, and three-year-old twins, Emma and Yuli.

Danielle was one of three women in a hostage video that Hamas released late last month.

Yaffa Adar, 85

Yaffa Adar is reunited with her family
Yaffa Adar is reunited with her family. Photograph: X

Adar is one of the founders of Nir Oz. A video of her being driven towards Gaza in a golf cart, wrapped in a pink blanket and guarded by Hamas gunmen, became a symbol of the hostage crisis for many in Israel. She has three children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. One of her grandchildren, Tamir Adar (38), remains a hostage.

Chana Katzir, 76

Chana Katzir
Chana Katzir. Photograph: AP

Another founder of Nir Oz, Katzir had worked on the childcare team there and her husband, Rami, was a tractor mechanic. They had three children and six grandchildren. Rami was killed in their safe room on 7 October and one of their sons, Elad, was also kidnapped.

Chana, who uses a walker, appeared in a hostage video on 9 November. Islamic Jihad claimed she had died in captivity a few days before she was released.

Chana Peri, 79

Chana Peri
Chana Peri. Photograph: AP

A retired shopkeeper, Peri was the only Israeli hostage released on Friday who did not come from Nir Oz. Born in South Africa, she moved to Israel as a young woman and settled in the Nirim kibbutz, where she had three children.

One son, Roey, was killed on 7 October, and her other son, Nadav, is being held hostage. Her daughter, Ayelet, is in Israel. Peri has diabetes.

Adina Moshe. 72

Adina Moshe.
Adina Moshe. Photograph: Hostages And Missing Families Forum/Reuters

Moshe’s husband, Sa’id (David), was murdered in their home in Nir Oz before she was kidnapped. Video footage showed her being driven to Gaza on a motorbike, sitting between two Hamas fighters. A mother of four, her hobbies include cooking and gardening.

Margalit Mozes, 77

Margalit Mozes
Margalit Mozes. Photograph: AP

A cancer survivor with diabetes and fibromyalgia, who is a keen hiker, birdwatcher and traveller, Mozes was kidnapped with her ex-husband.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

• This article was amended on 30 November 2023 to correct the spelling of Gali Tarshansky.

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