JERUSALEM – On Saturday, Hamas completed the last scheduled release of living hostages as part of the ongoing ceasefire arrangement with Israel, freeing six Israeli individuals. In this phase, Hamas has released a total of 33 Israelis, which includes eight who were deceased. Additionally, separate arrangements led to the release of five Thai nationals who had also been in captivity. It is estimated that 63 hostages, including a soldier’s body that has been held since 2014, remain in Gaza.
The handover process encountered challenges when Hamas returned the incorrect body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother with two young children abducted by militants. This mistake led to a tense situation until her rightful remains were finally returned and confirmed early on Saturday. The expectations are that the final four sets of remains will be turned over to Israeli authorities in the coming days.
Hamas-led militants initiated the abductions on October 7, 2023, during an assault that escalated the conflict into a full-blown war. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports an alarming number of over 48,000 Palestinian casualties, predominantly women and children, though it does not differentiate between non-combatants and those engaged in fighting.
As part of the ceasefire’s initial phase, Israel has agreed to release approximately 2,000 prisoners and detainees in exchange for the hostages.
Specifics on the Oct. 7, 2023, hostage situation are as follows:
– **Total captured**: 251
– **Released in exchanges or deals**: 141, including 4 deceased
– **Current captives**: 62, with Israel confirming 35 as deceased
– **Military personnel in captivity**: 13, including 7 confirmed deceased by Israel
– **Bodies retrieved by Israeli forces**: 40
– **Rescued alive**: 8
Among the remaining captives, 5 are non-Israelis, specifically 3 from Thailand, 1 from Nepal, and 1 from Tanzania. Out of these, 2 (one Thai and one Nepalese) are believed to still be alive.
Prior to the current series of events, two additional hostages held since before October 7, 2023, were also released.
Separately, Israel has successfully recovered the body of one soldier who had been held in Gaza following his death in the 2014 Israel-Hamas conflict, while the body of another soldier remains in Gaza.