A man walks past a building in Tel Aviv, Israel, displaying images of hostages who have either been freed or are still being held in Gaza, on March 26. Getty Images
As the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas began, an Israeli spokesperson confirmed that eight of the remaining hostages, who were set to be freed, were dead. David Mencer, an Israeli government representative, stated on Monday that the rest of the 33 hostages are alive, with seven already returned. Israeli authorities received a list from Hamas detailing the hostages' conditions. Mencer reported that the eight hostages were killed by Hamas, but the Palestinian militant group has not commented on how they died.
This hostage release is part of a broader ceasefire agreement, which began on January 19, aimed at freeing captives taken during the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other armed groups. The deal also involves the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. The families of all the hostages—both those alive and deceased—were contacted by Israeli officials on Sunday evening.
The remaining 26 hostages to be released include 21 men, three women, and two children, aged from two to 86 years old. This process has brought a temporary reprieve to the people of Gaza, who had faced over 15 months of Israeli airstrikes and bombings following the October 7 attacks. In the wake of the ceasefire, thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to their homes in northern Gaza, although many of these areas have been severely damaged by the ongoing violence.
The most recent hostages freed were four Israeli female soldiers: Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, who were released on January 25. They were reported to be in stable condition after receiving medical treatment at an Israeli hospital. Israel had initially expected the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, but she was not included in the first phase. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group later released a video of Yehud, suggesting that she would be freed on Thursday.
In the meantime, Israel has ramped up pressure on Hamas and other militant groups to release Yehud, and her family has requested that the media refrain from airing her video.
According to a senior Israeli military officer, many of the hostages freed so far had been held in tunnels for over eight months. The released women exhibited signs of mild starvation and low vitamin levels. The officer, Avi Benov, described their mental health as "complicated" and explained that the captives were given vitamins and food when they were checked at Israel's Re’im military base. Despite their difficult conditions, they were given the option to shower and change clothes before meeting their families.
Benov also noted that Hamas had allowed the hostages to wash and change clothes in the days leading up to their release, which appeared to be part of a propaganda effort. The younger hostages seemed to be in better physical shape, but Benov indicated that older hostages, who had spent more than a year in captivity, might be in worse condition. He declined to comment on whether the hostages had been physically tortured, stating that the survivors would tell their own stories in due course.
