Israel says eight of the remaining 26 hostages to be freed by Hamas during the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal are dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer told reporters that Israel received a list overnight from a Palestinian armed group containing information on the status of the hostages.
“Hamas’ list matches Israeli intelligence, so I can share with you that … eight were killed by Hamas,” he said, without naming them. “Families have been informed of the situation of their relatives.”
Seven women have already been released alive in exchange for more than 290 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons since the January 19 ceasefire began.
On Sunday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Hamas had agreed to release civilian woman Arbel Yehud, soldier Agam Berger and another hostage on Thursday.
Three additional hostages will be released by the group on Saturday, he said.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Since then, more than 47,310 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.
Israel says 87 hostages remain in captivity, 34 of whom are presumed dead. In addition, there are three Israelis who were abducted before the war, one of whom is dead.
One of the hostages that Israel says should be released in the first phase is Or Levy (34), who attended the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023 with his wife Eynav.
The couple, whose son Almog is now three, fled to a roadside shelter after being attacked by Hamas gunmen. Ejnav was killed in the shelter, while Or was kidnapped and returned to Gaza.
At the weekend in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, Oro’s brother Michael told the BBC that waiting to hear about the status of the remaining 26 hostages was like being immersed in “a reality invented by the devil himself and part of an evil reality show enjoyed by Hamas”.
He also said he had received no indication of when Or would be freed and that what he described as “the end date of this nightmare” would come.
Michael also said he feared that Hamas could still delay his brother’s release.
“We can’t just sit back and hope for the best. We have to keep going. And until he’s here, I won’t believe it really happened.”
On Saturday, after the release of four Israeli soldiers in another ceasefire exchange, an Israeli army spokesman said it was “extremely concerned” for the welfare of the three hostages – Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Kfira, two, and Ariel, five.
Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. However, the Israeli military has not confirmed their deaths and the Israeli government insists they were among the 33 hostages handed over in the first phase.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the “restoration of sustainable peace” – are due to begin on February 4.
The third and final phase will involve the reconstruction of Gaza, which could take years, and the return of any remaining bodies of the hostages.
The Forum of Hostages and Missing Families demands that the Israeli government implement all three phases and ensure the return of every hostage.
“We are not complete without all of them. Our nation needs everyone at home, together. Down to the last hostage,” it said.
Meanwhile, the deputy chief of the Israeli army’s medical corps said some of the seven newly freed hostages had spent “all their time in tunnels underground” in recent months.
“Some of them were alone the whole time they were there,” said Col. Dr. Avi Banov, Reuters news agency reports. – Those who said they were together were in better shape.
The hostages said their treatment had improved in the days leading up to their release, when they were allowed to shower, change clothes and receive better food, he added.
