Israel says Hamas no longer holds any living hostages as final 13 return home
text_fields
Jerusalem: Hamas no longer holds any living Israeli hostage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday, confirming that the remaining 13 captives had been handed over to Israeli forces and were on their way home after more than two years in captivity.
This was the second batch of hostages freed on Monday. Earlier in the day, seven Israeli men, Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, and Guy Gilboa-Dallal, were released after spending 738 days in Hamas custody.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the transfer of the hostages to the IDF inside the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X, the IDF said: “Returning to Their Borders. Seven returning hostages have now met IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Gaza Strip, and they are on their way to Israeli territory.”
The military added that all the freed hostages would first undergo medical examinations upon their arrival in Israel. “IDF commanders and soldiers salute and embrace the returnees on their way back home,” it said, urging the public to show restraint, respect their privacy, and rely only on official updates.
The IDF also confirmed that preparations were in place to receive additional hostages expected to be transferred by the Red Cross later.
Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis gathered at the Nova festival site, where Hamas militants carried out a deadly attack on October 7, 2023, killing and abducting hundreds, for special holiday prayers.
Earlier in the day, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades announced it would release 20 “living Israeli captives” as part of the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
“The agreement reached is the fruit of the steadfastness of our people and the resilience of its resistance fighters, and we announce our commitment to the agreement reached and the related timelines as long as the occupation adheres to it. The occupation could have returned most of its captives alive many months ago, but it continued to stall,” Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.