After more than 15 months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that sparked the conflict in Gaza, a ceasefire agreement has been implemented. This agreement resulted in the release of several hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
On February 15, Hamas released three hostages, including Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, and US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, following concerns about the ceasefire’s future.
Out of the 251 people seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023, 70 are still believed to be in Gaza, with only 35 confirmed to be alive. Additionally, three hostages taken before October 7 remain in Hamas’s captivity.
During the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire, a total of 33 hostages are set to be released in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli custody.
The stories of the remaining hostages, either confirmed by the BBC or reliably reported, are detailed here. Please note that this list is subject to updates as new information emerges regarding the status of those feared kidnapped.
Last updated on February 15, 2025.
[BBC]
One of the hostages, Ariel Cunio, 27, was abducted during the same attack on Nir Oz. His brother Eitan Cunio, who managed to escape Hamas, shared Ariel’s last message expressing the harrowing situation. Ariel’s partner, Arbel Yehud, 29, was released on January 30, 2025, as part of the ceasefire agreement.
David Cunio, 34, another brother of Ariel, was also taken from Nir Oz. His wife Sharon Aloni Cunio and their three-year-old twin daughters were freed in November 2023. Sharon’s sister Daniele Aloni and her six-year-old daughter Emilia were also released during the same period.
Twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, 27, were abducted from Kfar Aza. Ziv was in contact with a friend during the attack, and their family has been informed by the IDF that the brothers are being held in Gaza.
IDF soldier Matan Angrest, 21, who was on duty on October 7, 2023, is presumed to be in Gaza.
Edan Alexander, 20, an Israeli-US citizen serving near the Gaza border, volunteered to join the Israeli army. His family was informed by Israeli officials that he was taken to Gaza as a hostage during Hamas’s attack.
Matan Zanguaker, 24, and his partner Ilana Gritzewsky, 31, were taken from Nir Oz. Ilana, a Mexican national, was released in November 2023.
Eitan Horn, 38, an Argentinian citizen, and his brother Yair, 46, were both captured from Nir Oz. Eitan, who works in education, remains in Gaza while Yair was released on February 15.
Shiri Bibas, 33, along with her two sons Ariel and Kfir, aged five and two, were among the 33 hostages set to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire. They were taken from Nir Oz with Shiri’s husband, Yarden, who was released on February 1, 2025. Although Hamas claimed they were killed in an IDF air strike in November 2023, Israel has not officially confirmed this.
Bipin Joshi, 23, a Nepalese agriculture student, is believed to have been taken from Kibbutz Alumim. The Joshi family received confirmation from Israeli intelligence that his phone was located in Gaza.
Oded Lifshitz, 84, a retired journalist, was abducted from Nir Oz. His wife Yocheved was also kidnapped but released in October 2023. Oded was listed among the 33 hostages set to be freed in the initial phase of the January 2025 ceasefire.
Itzik Elgarat, 69, was taken from Nir Oz and reportedly injured during the attack. His phone was traced to Gaza, and Israel included him in the list of 33 hostages to be released.
Nimrod Cohen, 20, was abducted from Nahal Oz, leading to his father being invited to meet Pope Francis in Rome along with other families of hostages.
Tsachi Idan, 50, was seized by Hamas gunmen from his residence in Nahal Oz. His eldest child Maayan was killed in the attack. Tsachi’s wife Gali last heard about him from released hostages in November 2023. Tsachi is part of the list of 33 hostages to be released in the initial phase of the agreement.
Omri Miran, 47, was kidnapped from Nahal Oz. His wife Lishay witnessed him being driven away in his car, while she and their two young daughters were left behind.
Ohad Yahalomi, 50, was taken from Nir Oz along with his 12-year-old son Eitan, who was released in November. Ohad is among the hostages set to be freed according to the agreement.
Tal Shoham, 39, was abducted from Be’eri. His wife Adi, their children, and his mother-in-law, Dr. Shosham Haran, were captured but released in November 2023. Dr. Haran’s husband was killed during the attack, and Tal is listed among the 33 hostages designated for release in the first phase of the ceasefire.
[BBC]
Several individuals were taken captive during the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, including Omer Shem Tov, 22, who was initially able to escape in his car but was later captured while trying to rescue his friends Maya and Itai Regev. The Regev siblings were released in November 2023, stating they were held captive with Omer.
Israel confirmed that Omer was among the 33 hostages slated for release in the initial phase of the new ceasefire. Yosef Ohana, Avinatan Or, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Eitan Mor, Alon Ohel, Maxim Kharkin, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Eliya Cohen, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, and Evyatar David were all mentioned as being held captive or missing. The fate of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai hostage, remained unknown. Unfortunately, a number of hostages were confirmed dead, including Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Master Sgt Ori Danino, Abraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtab, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Omer Neutra, Noa Marciano, Yehudit Weiss, Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, Alon Shamriz, Yousef Zyadna, and Shlomo Mansour. Él está en la lista del gobierno israelí de 33 rehenes que deberían ser liberados primero bajo el acuerdo de alto el fuego.
Investigación por Jamie Ryan y Emma Pengelly
Más sobre la guerra Israel-Gaza
[BBC]
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