New Delhi: A complex reality has emerged in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, as Israel reports that Hamas list shows eight of the 33 hostages to be released are dead. While Hamas has not disclosed the cause of death, Israeli officials stated that the remaining 25 are alive.
This news comes after Israel received a list from Hamas outlining the status of hostages. The next release is scheduled for Thursday, followed by another on Saturday.
According to the Associate Press report, the Israeli government spokesman David Mencer informed media Monday that Hamas said the other 25 are alive.
The initial phase, which started on January 19, was intended to free numerous hostages captured by Hamas and other militant groups in the October 7 attacks. The families of the hostages, both alive and deceased, were notified by Israeli authorities, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum confirmed to CNN.
Of the 26 hostages yet to be released in this phase, 21 are men, three are women, and two are children, ranging from two to 86 years old, according to the forum and the Israeli government press office. Around 90 hostages are still in captivity, with Israel previously believing at least 35 to be dead. In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire has brought a pause to the intense war that has gripped Gaza for months, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians beginning to return to their homes, much of which has been ravaged by over a year of relentless airstrikes and ground raids by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Prior to this fresh development, the most recent hostage release occurred on January 25, when the Hamas forces freed four female Israeli soldiers who were in stable condition, CNN reported.
The release of female civilian Arbel Yehud was delayed, but Hamas released a video of her, indicating she would be released on Thursday, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Her family has asked that the video not be shared publicly.
Additionally, it has come to light that several of the recently released hostages were held in tunnels for over eight months and had suffered from mild starvation, said Avi Benov, the deputy chief of the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps.
