The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been extended for a fifth day to allow for the safe exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, offering a window of opportunity for more of the remaining Israeli hostages to be released from captivity in Gaza.
As of Wednesday, 161 of the roughly 240 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy. Of those, 146 are Israelis and 15 are foreigners. Two hostages were murdered in captivity.
Nine children remain hostages in Gaza, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his brother Ariel, 4, and their parents Yardi and Shiri. The military reported on Monday that the family had been transferred to another Palestinian terrorist group at some point during their captivity, leading to further uncertainty over the negotiations of their release.
Ofir Engel, who turned 18 in captivity and was visiting his girlfriend at Kibbutz Be’eri when he was kidnapped, is still being held in Gaza.
Gali Tarshanky, 13, whose brother Lior, 15, was killed on October 7, remains a hostage. Amit Shani, 16, Liam Or, 18, Bilal Ziyadne, 18, Aisha Ziyadne, 17, and Itay Regev, 18, also have yet to be released.
Raaya Rotem, whose 13-year-old daughter Hila Rotem Shoshani was released along with Emily Hand, 9, on Saturday night, remains in captivity despite Israel’s insistence on keeping family members together. Rotem’s continued detention marks an area of friction in the unfolding negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Levy said in a public address on Wednesday: “The government of Israeli is committed to securing the return of all the hostages and missing persons, we are committed to the pledge: there will be no one left behind.”
As part of the agreement, the hostages released have been predominantly women and children, leaving a large proportion of men in continued captivity. 126 of the remaining hostages are men, and 35 are women.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “This evening too, we do not, even for a moment, forget the children, the women and the men, that are still being held by the Hamas terror organisation in Gaza.”
“Today, we heard the horrifying testimonies of how Eitan, twelve years old, was forced by terrorists to watch videos of atrocities and was beaten by terrorists. He is only twelve. Eitan’s testimony demonstrates that Hamas is a cruel terror organisation that does not allow the Red Cross to check the condition of the hostages. It is an international humanitarian moral duty to demand that the Red Cross fulfils its responsibility.”
