Fourteen more Israeli hostages likely to be released by Hamas soon

A second group of 14 Israeli hostages, mostly children, are expected to be freed by Hamas militants on Saturday (November 25) after they were abducted during the horrific onslaught on the country on October 7.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that it received the names on Friday night of the people to be released on Saturday, the second day of the exchange deal. The first exchange of 13 Israelis taken hostages for 39 Palestinian prisoners concluded successfully on Friday evening evoking mixed reactions on both sides. It is expected that 14 Israelis will be released later on Saturday.

The Israel Prison Service said that 42 Palestinian prisoners are to be released as part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, three prisoners for each Israeli that it let go.

In Israel, people expressed satisfaction at the return of some of their relatives but concerns over those still in captivity. There are also those who oppose the whole mechanism adopted arguing for continued full-fledged military operation to release all the hostages, and not to give the enemy respite to reorganise itself.

Islamist Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, led a deadly attack on Israel on October 7 killing about 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostage prompting Israel to declare a full-fledged war in Gaza which has seen massive destruction in the choked coastal Strip and loss of more than 14,000 lives as per the Gaza Health ministry.

Hope for Palestinians

Israel has released a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners that can be set free on the basis of the 1:3 exchange method, meaning three Palestinian prisoners will be released for every Israeli hostage coming out of captivity.

This has set anxiety and expectations in the related Palestinian families who see a possibility of their family member coming out but also uncertainty given that it is based on the number of hostages that get released.

The remaining 24 hostages out of the 50 agreed for release are likely to come out in batches of 12 on Sunday and Monday. According to local media reports, eight of the 13 hostages to be released on Saturday will be children. Only four of the 13 Israelis released on Friday were children.

As part of a separate deal, 11 foreign nationals, including 10 Thai nationals and a Filipino, were released by Hamas on Friday.

Emotional reunion

Emotional scenes unfolded as Israeli children and women, held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza for a gruelling 49 days, were released and finally reunited with their families under a Qatar, Egyptian and US brokered deal.

Ohad Munder, 9, in a video released by Schneider Children's Medical Centre (SCMC) can be seen running and hugging his father in a tight embrace for the first time since he was released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Ohad was freed along with his 55-year-old mother Keren Munder, and 78-year-old grandmother Ruti Munder. Ruti’s husband Avraham Munder still remains in Gaza in Hamas' custody. Ohad turned nine while being held in Gaza, and events were held across Israel to mark the day.

A keen solver of Rubik’s cubes, people campaigning for the boy's release created his portrait out of the puzzle. Images circulating on social media on Saturday showed Ohad solving a Rubik's cube in the hospital as soldiers from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) looked on.

Emilia Alony, 5, who was released with her mother Danielle as part of a temporary cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel, was reunited with her grandma. In photos released by the SCMS, Emilia can be seen in a tight embrace with her grandmother. The two were visiting Danielle’s sister and her family at Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 when they were all kidnapped during the dastardly attacks carried out by Hamas.

Sharon Alony Cunio, 33, and her husband David Cunio, 34, and their twin three-year-old daughters, Yuli and Emma, are still being held hostages in Gaza.

In an emotional video, Ohad's brother Roy Zichri Munder, thanked the IDF for its role in releasing his family members and all the citizens for their “hugs and support without which we wouldn't have been able to hold up for these 49 days”.

SCMC has made special arrangements for the hostages being released, arranging for all possible things to make them switch to normal surroundings.

(With agency inputs)