Who are the hostages due to be returned under the Gaza peace deal?

Eitan Horn

The brother of Yair Horn, who was returned from Gaza in February, Eitan is an Israeli-Argentine dual national taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

He was on the kibbutz visiting his brother on holiday when Hamas infiltrated the community and killed dozens of residents.

The terror group released a video earlier this month showing the emotional goodbye between the siblings ahead of Yair’s release.

Matan Angrest

Matan is an IDF soldier who was taken when his base in Nahal Oz came under attack.

He was abducted alongside his brother-in-arms Itay Chen, who was killed during the massacres, aged just 19.

The last sign of life Angrest’s family received came in the form of a Hamas propaganda video in September, showing him covered in burn wounds but still alive.

The family also released a previously unseen video of his kidnapping in June.

Gali & Ziv Berman

Twin brothers Gali and Ziv were taken together from Kibbutz Kfar Aza but are reportedly being held apart by Hamas.

Their family last received proof of life in November 2023, but say they have had word from other former hostages that the brothers are still alive.

The pair are friends of British-Israeli former hostage Emily Damari and were last seen going to her house during the attack to check on her.

Since her own release, Damari has mentioned them consistently in public appearances and campaigned for their release.

Ariel & David Cunio

Another set of brothers taken by Hamas, little is known about the fate of Ariel and David.

David, an Israeli actor and electrical engineer, was kidnapped alongside his wife and two daughters, as well as his sister-in-law and her two children.

The others were all released under a previous release deal, leaving only David and his brother in Gaza.

A freed hostage reported seeing David alive in February, but no sign of life has been received for Ariel since October 7 when he texted loved ones saying: “We are in a horror film.”

Maxim Herkin

Russian-Israeli Maxim was taken from the Nova music festival.

He had been visiting Israel from the Donbas region of Ukraine, which has been the site of intense fighting in the ongoing war with Russia and was illegally annexed in 2022.

Along with Sasha Troufanov, another Russian dual national who was freed in February, Herkin has been the subject of extensive negotiation between Hamas and the Kremlin. 

Hamas officials had pledged to release him in a ceasefire earlier this year, but the truce collapsed before they did so. His latest proof of life video was published in May.

Alon Ohel

In contrast to some of the other still held in Gaza, a good deal is known about Alon’s condition as he was held with the since-released Or Levy and Eli Sharabi.

His mother Idit told Channel 12: “He has shrapnel in his eye, he has shrapnel in his shoulder, he has shrapnel in his arm.

"Alon was bound in chains, this entire time, and he had almost no food — at most one pita a day, over a very, very, very long time, more than a year.”

A video showing him alive was released in September, but his family now say that he is blind in the wounded eye and that his condition is deteriorating.

A talented pianist, Alon was due to study jazz in Tel Aviv and visitors to Hostage Square in the city are able to play a yellow piano in his honour.

Avinatan Or

Avinatan and his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, became some of the most prominent symbols of the brutality of the Hamas attacks when footage emerged showing them being dragged away into Gaza as Noa screamed for help.

While he remains in captivity, Noa was released earlier this year and has been campaigning tirelessly for his release ever since, including speaking at the UN and meeting US President Donald Trump.

The Or family has received several signs of life for Avinatan, but none have arrived since last year.

Matan Zangauker

Matan was, like Avinatan, kidnapped alongside his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, during October 7.

The pair were taken from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz, with Ilana released in November 2023.

His mother Einav is among the most prominent hostage advocates in Israel, having met Prime Minister Netanyahu several times during the war.

Yosef-Haim Ohana

A reveller at the Nova music festival, Yosef-Haim was taken while he and a friend attempted to save the lives of those wounded by Hamas terrorists.

He was last seen taking cover as an RPG explosive was launched towards him.

His family says it has recently received a “clear” sign that he is alive, but further details remain unclear.

Eitan Mor

Raised in Jerusalem, Eitan was working as a security guard for Nova when the attack occurred.

His family revealed earlier this year that they received a sign of life for the first time since he was seen trying to usher festivalgoers to safety.

However, they oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, claiming that Eitan himself was against a similar move in 2011.

His father, Tzivka, told the Associated Press: “Eitan said he didn’t want there to be a situation where they would release him for murderers.

"We know they will go back to murdering the same way they did after Gilad Shalit.”

Tamir Nimrodi

Tamir was serving as an NCO in the Education Corps at an IDF base near the Erez crossing when he was taken by Hamas.

He is not believed to have been badly wounded, walking into Gaza under his own steam, albeit at Hamas gunpoint, but he has not been seen since video footage of the attacks emerged on the day itself.

Bar Kupershtein

Like Tamir, Bar was a security guard for the Nova festival and attempted to tend to the wounded before being taken.

No sign of life has been received from his since, according to his family.

His father, Tal, suffered a stroke following a car accident five years ago, but taught himself how to speak again to advocate for his captive son.

In a speech during Pesach, he said: “Bar! I am speaking again! You can come back.”

Nimrod Cohen

Another soldier, Nimrod was taken from the Nahal Oz base where he served as a tank gunner.

The other men in his unit – Shaked Dahan, Oz Daniel and Omer Neutra – have all been confirmed dead.

But Nimrod appears to still be alive, most recently seen in the video showing the parting of Yair and Eitan Horn.

His face was blurred in the clip but his family picked him out via a distinctive tattoo on his arm.

Elkana Bhobot

Elkana is an Israel-Colombian dual national who was taken from Nova after being filmed taking a beating from armed terrorists.

Hamas released a video of him, visibly unwell and pleading for help from President Trump, in April and he was previously held alongside Eli Sharabi and Or Levy.

However, Sharabi said in an interview that Elkana’s health is deteriorating. He now reportedly suffers from severe asthma and skin conditions as a result of the conditions in which he is being held, including being forced to sleep on a mould-covered mattress in a damp tunnel.

Evyatar David & Guy Gilboa-Dalal

Evyatar and Guy have been friends since kindergarten and were taken together from the Nova festival.

Both are known to be alive as of February as they appeared in a Hamas video showing them being forced to watch the releases of their fellow captives.

The clip drew international condemnation, with Evyatar’s sister Yeela labelling it “horrifying”.

Hamas then released a further clip of  Evyatar in August, in which the visibly emaciated captive was forced to dig his own grave.

Segev Kalfon

Another Nova abductee, Segev actually managed to escape the festival site as gunmen descended upon it.

However, he was spotted as he made a break across the nearby highway and was picked up by terrorists.

His family said that one of the hostages in Sharabi’s release group confirmed that he is “ok” but could give no further update on his condition.

Omri Miran

Dad-of-two Omri, a Hungarian-Israeli, was taken from his home in Nahal Oz.

His wife and two young daughters were thankfully left behind and say they received a sign of life from a freed hostage who was held with Omri until July last year.

He also appeared in a Hamas propaganda video released in April, which his family called “a disgrace”.

Rom Braslavski

A third Nova security guard to remain in Gaza, Braslavski only took up the job while on a break from military service.

He is known to have saved two young women at the festival from Hamas before being wounded and captured.

In March, Sasha Troufanov said that he had been briefly held with Braslavski and that he was alive.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of him in July, during which he said he was “on the edge of death”.

Hamas also claimed that they had lost contact with the group holding Braslavski and his whereabouts are unknown.

Bipin Joshi

Bipin is a Nepalese farming student who was abducted from a kibbutz while on an academic exchange to learn about Israeli agriculture.

One of his fellow students, who survived the attacks, said that Bipin managed to save their life by throwing a live grenade back at terrorists before being captured.

His family released a video of him from shortly after his abduction earlier this week, but are yet to receive further proof of life.

The remains of a further 26 hostages are also expected to be released in the coming days.

Their names are: Itay Chen, Dror Oz, Daniel Oz, Daniel Peretz, Lior Rudaeff, Eliyahu Margalit, Yossi Sharabi, Meny Godard, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Adar, Muhammad Al-Atarash, Omer Neutra, Sahar Baruch, Uriel Baruch, Tal Haimi, Ronen Engel, Hadar Goldin, Arie Zalmanowicz, Guy Illouz, Eitan Levi, Joshua Loitu Mollel, Inbar Hayman, Asaf Hamami, Ran Gvili, Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak.