The war in the Gaza Strip is drawing closer to an end. The Islamist group Hamas has complied with what was agreed in the first phase of the peace plan and released this Monday morning the 20 Israeli hostages who were still alive hidden in the Palestinian enclave. They have done it in two different batches in Gaza City, the capital, and in another point in the south, handing over the captives to the Red Cross but also taking advantage to show off the military muscle they have left.
The release of the hostages, who have survived two years of captivity, has coincided with the arrival of Donald Trumpestablished as the great architect of the peace agreement, to Jerusalem. The American president was received on the tarmac by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before giving a speech in Parliament (Knesset) and meeting with the families of some of the kidnapped people. “The war is over. It is a great day, a new beginning,” he boasted.
With the release of these twenty hostages, Hamas no longer has any living Israeli citizens in its possession. It is expected that throughout the day they will also return the bodies of another 28 prisoners who have died during captivity. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Tel Aviv’s hostage square to celebrate the return home of their compatriots.
Hamas hands over Israeli hostages
As part of this first phase of the peace plan, Israel released 1,968 Palestinian prisoners this Monday, of which 154 have been deported out of the country, as announced by the main associations representing the prisoners from both Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
The Palestinian armed group has indicated in a statement that it is willing to continue implementing what was agreed within the framework of the truce, while demanding that Israel fulfill its part. “The resistance has done everything in its power to preserve the lives of these prisoners despite the attempts of the war criminal Netanyahu and his Army to eliminate them,” he justified about the deceased captives.
Another Red Cross car transporting Israeli hostages.
Reuters
The hostages were handed over in two batches to the members of the Red Cross: first 7 and a few hours later the other 13. The militiamen allowed the latter to communicate with their families through video calls. They were then taken into the hands of the Israeli Army, which transferred them to a military base on the border to undergo the relevant medical examinations. Some have already been able to reunite with their families there. They were then transferred by helicopter to several hospitals in Tel Aviv.
These releases are recorded as an essential preliminary step for peace in Gaza and on a key day for the agreement. If everything goes as planned, both sides will ratify it this Monday afternoon in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh in an event that will be chaired by Donald Trump.
The 20 hostages released
–Eitan mor25 years old, was captured while working as a security guard at the Nova festival
-The brothers May y Ziv Berman (27), kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
–Guy Gilboa Dalal (24), was at the music festival attacked.
–Matan Angrist (22), was serving as a soldier and was captured from his burning tank at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
–Omri Mira (48), the oldest of the hostages. He was taken prisoner in his vehicle, in front of his wife and children.
–Alon chain (24), one of the four Nova assistants from the shelter where 16 other people were killed.
–Nimrod Cohen (21), colonel and captured when he was in his tank near the border with Gaza.
–Rom Braslavski (21) y Bar Kupershtein (23), kidnapped while working at the Nova music festival.
–Evyatar David (24), Maxim the most sensitive (37), Elkana Bohbot (36), Sege Calfon (27) y Yosef Haim Ohana (24), also captured at said festival.
–The Weapon Women (25), kidnapped in his house in Nir Oz with his partner.
-The Argentine brothers Ariel (28) y David Cunio (35), the first captured with his girlfriend in the Nir Oz kibbutz and the second in his home with his wife and twin daughters.
–Avinatan or (32), whose girlfriend was captured and rescued in June 2024.
–Etan Horn (38), Argentine kidnapped while visiting his older brother.