Suche
Mein Konto
Israel confirms eight remaining Hamas hostages dead
Israel reports that eight of the remaining hostages due to be released under a deal by Hamas are dead. Progress in rescuing hostages remains tense.
Israel confirms eight remaining Hamas hostages dead
CNN – According to an Israeli government spokesman, eight of the remaining hostages are held by Hamas as part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement be released, dead. This information was announced during a press conference on Monday. David Mencer, the spokesman, reported that the remaining 33 hostages expected to return from Gaza to their families are alive, including the seven who have already been returned. Israeli authorities were informed of the hostages' status after receiving a list from Hamas.
Hostage status and ceasefire details
According to Mencer, the eight hostages killed were killed by Hamas. The Palestinian military group has not yet commented on the cause of her death. The first phase of the ceasefire and hostage agreement - which began on January 19 - calls for the release of dozens of hostages captured in the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other armed groups.
The families of all hostages, both living and dead, scheduled to be released under phase one of the deal were contacted by Israeli authorities on Sunday evening, the Hostages and Missing Persons Forum confirmed to CNN.
Ceasefire and return of the displaced
The ceasefire brought respite to the people of Gaza after more than 15 months of Israeli bombing raids on the region that followed the Oct. 7 attacks. On Monday, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to their homes in northern Gaza, where large areas have been devastated by more than a year of incessant airstrikes and ground operations.
Number of hostages released and health status
The most recently released hostages were four Israeli soldiers who were released from captivity on January 25th. Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all 20, and Liri Albag, 19, were in stable condition, according to the director of the Israeli hospital where they were treated.
Israel had hoped that civilian hostage Arbel Yehud would also be released and postponed the opening of a corridor to northern Gaza after she was not included in the list of those released. On Monday, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a new video of Yehud in which she references previous hostage releases - an apparent sign that the footage was taken recently.
The release of the video comes amid intense pressure from Israel on Hamas and other Palestinian military groups. They have now announced they will release Yehud on Thursday, the Israeli prime minister's office reported. Yehud's family has asked the media not to publish the video.
Health status of the released hostages
Several of the seven hostages released from Gaza last week had been held in tunnels for more than eight months, a senior Israeli military official reported. All seven women released so far showed symptoms of mild malnutrition with low levels of vitamins, said Avi Benov, deputy chief of the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps. Her psychological state is a very complex issue.
The released hostages were given vitamins and modest amounts of food during their first medical examination at Israel's Re'im military base. They were offered the option to shower and change before meeting their parents. They were informed that they were safe.
Benov claimed that in the days before their release, Hamas gave them better food and allowed them to wash and change into fresh clothes for propaganda purposes. He added that the younger hostages were in better condition, while the older hostages were believed to have returned in worse condition because they had been in captivity for longer. Asked whether there were physical signs of torture among the hostages, Benov declined to answer, saying: "They will tell their own stories."
This story is evolving and will be updated.