A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas negotiators hangs on the release of 33 Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza since the October 7 attacks. The deal, brokered in Qatar, also includes the repatriation of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
About 100 Israel is are believed to be still held hostage in Gaza as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas hinges on their release. A list of 33 hostages slated to be returned to their families in exchange for Palestinian prisoners does not specify which are alive or dead. The list includes the youngest and oldest known hostages as well as people abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7.
At the core of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that ends hostilities in Gaza for at least six weeks is the release of some of the remaining Israeli hostages held by the militant group. According to Israeli tallies, about 251 people were taken hostage and 1,200 killed by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, terror attacks, when the group controlling Gaza launched a surprise assault on military bases, towns and a music festival in southern Israel. The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could halt the war in Gaza and see the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Since then, at least 46,788 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's invasion of the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health authorities, with thousands more feared dead under the ruins of buildings destroyed in air strikes and from starvation and disease. A list of 33 hostages — out of 100 estimated still in Gaza — to be released largely includes children, elderly people and women, though it is unknown how many are still alive after 15 months in captivity. Hundreds of Palestinians held prisoner by Israel will be released as part of the hostage exchange, including all women and children under 19 held since October 7. Hamas said in November 2023 the trio had been killed in an Israeli strike, but there has been no official confirmation of their deaths. The two children were taken along with their parents from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel on October 7, and have become associated with the colour orange in Israel because of their red hair., is also on the list of hostages to be released, but he is believed to have been held separately from his family. is the oldest hostage in Gaza at 86, an Iraqi Jew born in Baghdad who immigrated to Israel in the 40s. In an interview with the Jerusalem Centre for Security and Foreign Affairs, Mr Mansur's sister, Hadassah Laazar, said she was hopeful she would see him again after no sign of him was found following the attack on his kibbutz. Nova festival hostages One of the multiple civilian sites targeted in the October 7 attacks was the Nova music festival in Re'im, southern Israel, attended by about 3,000 people. A ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel has been reached after intensive negotiations in Qatar. These images capture how Palestinians and Israelis reacted to the news. According to Israeli tallies, about 364 people were killed during the early morning attack on the festival, and dozens were taken hostage, including:: The 24-year-old dancer's family has held regular dance classes in Tel Aviv to honour the hostage, and her family, including her sister Yarden Gonen, has appeared on Israeli and US media regularly to advocate for her release. 'It's a crucial time to do everything we can to save my little sister and the other 100 hostages,' Ms Gonen told Fox News in December.Two of the hostages listed for release were not taken on October 7, but instead have been held captive for roughly a decade in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that his officials have reached a deal with Hamas to return hostages after last-minute snags in negotiations.The report said Hamas had designated them as soldiers, but the HRW investigation found they were not combatants or affiliated with the Israeli government in any way. Mr al-Sayed appeared in a 2022 video released by Hamas that showed him lying in a hospital bed breathing into an oxygen mask without speaking. For those hostages still alive after 15 months of captivity, reintegrating into society would be tremendously difficult, Israeli psychologist Vered Atzmon Meshulam told the ABC. 'We've never been in a situation where we're receiving back hostages after long time,' Ms Meshulam said. 'We are learning to deal with this complicated trauma that we know they are going through,' she said. 'First we will need to help them get back their dignity, their secure feeling about life … and being safe
HOSTAGES CEASEFIRE HAMAS ISRAEL GAZA NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL
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