As hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza under a fragile ceasefire, Hamas has revealed that only 25 of the 33 hostages it planned to release are still alive. Eight hostages are confirmed dead, raising concerns for the remaining captives. This news comes as Israelis prepare for the release of three more hostages, while the fate of 90 hostages still held by Hamas remains uncertain.
Hamas has revealed that only 25 of the 33 hostages it planned to release are still alive as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza . Eight of the hostages due for release in the first phase of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas are dead, Israel i government spokesman David Mencer said Monday, after receiving a list from the Palestinian militant group. 'The families have been informed of the situation of their relatives,' Mencer told reporters.
This means that of the 26 hostages yet to be freed under the first phase of the agreement, only 18 are still alive. Seven living hostages have been freed since the deal began on January 19. Israel has said the next release, of three hostages - including Arbel Yehoud and Agam Berger - will take place on Thursday, followed by another three hostages to be released on Saturday. The 33 names on the list are women, the Bibas family children, men aged over 50, and unwell and injured men. Whether hostages were alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking question for waiting families who have pushed Israel's government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time was running out. Around 90 hostages are still being held, and Israeli authorities believe between a third and a half of them were killed in the initial attack or died in captivity. This comes as some 200,000 Palestinians streamed into Gaza's most heavily destroyed area on Monday under the fragile ceasefire after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas. Massive crowds of Palestinians, some holding babies or pushing wheelchairs, walked with their belongings along a seaside road in a dramatic reversal of the mass exodus from the north that many had feared Israel would make permanent. Footage also showed people still moving northward eight hours after the crossing opened. They were watched over by Israeli tanks on a nearby hill. Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters are eager to return to their homes - even though they are likely damaged or destroyed.It comes after an Israeli general revealed Monday that some of the hostages released from Gaza so far during the ceasefire had been held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight months straight, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact. Three Israeli civilians and four soldiers - all women - have been released so far in the ceasefire, and in return, Israel has released 290 Palestinian convicts and detainees. 'Some of them told us that they've been in the past few months, that they've been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground,' deputy chief of the Israeli military's medical corps, Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, told journalists online. 'Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there,' he said. 'Those who said they were together were in better shape.' Read More Thousands of Palestinians return to northern Gaza for first time since war began The hostages said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Banov said, when they were allowed to shower, change their clothes and received better food. They appeared to be in good condition and smiling in videos on the days of their release. Citing the hostages' privacy, Banov would not say whether any of the seven bore signs of torture or abuse. Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were captured during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and some showed signs of 'mild starvation', Banov said. The ceasefire reached earlier this month after more than a year of negotiations is aimed at ending the 15-month war, which was triggered by the initial 2023 Hamas attack, as well as freeing hostages still held in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The first phase of the ceasefire runs until early March, but the second and far more difficult phase has yet to be negotiated. Talks on phase two are set to begin next Monday. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israel has threatened to resume its offensive until Hamas is destroyed. Briton Emily Damari, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were handed over to Red Cross after 471 days in captivity. They are pictured in a Hamas propaganda video Doron Steinbrecher (in pink), Romi Gonen (in black), Emily Damari (in green)
HAMAS ISRAEL CEASEFIRE HOSTAGES GAZA PALESTINIANS DISPLACEMENT WAR
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