TEL AVIV. Hamas has informed Israeli officials that eight of the remaining 26 hostages expected to be released as part of the first phase of the ongoing ceasefire are deceased, according to a Middle Eastern official briefed on the matter. This marks the first time Hamas has disclosed exact numbers regarding the status of hostages.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the numbers provided by Hamas align with intelligence gathered by Israeli authorities.
Earlier, three hostages — Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, a dual British citizen — were freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian detainees, primarily women and children. On Saturday, four female Israeli soldiers were released in a separate exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, many serving life sentences for deadly attacks.
The ceasefire’s initial phase, expected to last until early March, involves the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations for the second phase remain unresolved.
Tensions rose Saturday when Israel barred Palestinian civilians from returning to northern Gaza, alleging that Hamas violated the truce by failing to release hostage Arbel Yehoud as agreed. In turn, Hamas accused Israel of breaching the agreement.
Qatar, a key mediator in the talks, announced Monday that Yehoud and two other hostages are slated for release before Friday. Additionally, three more captives are expected to be freed Saturday. Many Israelis remain hopeful that Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage still held in Gaza, will be among them.
Kfir Bibas was just shy of 9 months old when he, his 5-year-old brother Ariel, and their parents Yarden and Shiri were abducted during Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Kfir turned 2 earlier this month, marking his second birthday in captivity.
While other child hostages were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023, the Bibas family remained in captivity. On one of the truce’s final days, Hamas claimed in a statement that Kfir, his mother, and his brother were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The Oct. 7 attack resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and around 250 hostages being taken. Following Israel’s subsequent military response, Gaza’s health authorities report that over 47,000 people have died.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
