Israel and Hamas have completed the last exchange of hostages in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Both parties are set to negotiate for the second round of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas and Israel completed the last exchange of the first phase negotiated under the Gaza ceasefire agreement on Thursday. Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages, while Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the ceasefire ends this weekend, and Israel and Hamas are set to negotiate for the next phase. However, the war could resume with dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.
In the first phase, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages, including eight who were killed in captivity or during the October 7, 2023 attack that the militant group launched on Israel. Five Thai hostages were freed separately. Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for the hostages.
Here are details on the hostages:
Total captured on October 7, 2023: 251
- Hostages taken before the October 7 attack: 2 who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of 2 soldiers killed in the 2014 war.
- Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 147, of whom 8 were dead.
- Hostages still in captivity (asterisk): 59, of whom Israel has declared 32 to be dead.
- Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli troops: 41
- Hostages rescued alive: 8 (asterisk)
Hostages still in captivity include:
- 13 soldiers, of whom Israel has declared 9 to be dead
- 5 non-Israelis (3 Thais, 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 2 (1 Thai and 1 Nepalese) are believed to still be alive.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7, 2023 attack and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. More than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
(With inputs from AP)
