A cease-fire agreement reached this week by Israel and Hamas triggers the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza since the war began more than a year ago.
About 100 hostages, alive and dead, are believed to be trapped in Gaza. Most of them were seized when Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, in an attack that killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
Under the deal, the 33 remaining hostages will be released during the initial six-week phase of the truce, the first major release since a one-week truce in November 2023. In exchange, Israel will release more than 1,000 imprisoned Palestinians.
The first exchange of hostages for prisoners will begin on Sunday at 16:00 at the latest, according to the agreement. Here’s what else we know about how the plan envisions their release.
Who are the hostages being released?
Among the 33 hostages who will be released in the first phase are soldiers and civilians, children, men over 50 years old, and sick and wounded “humanitarian” cases.
Hostages who fit that profile include young female soldiers kidnapped from a military base; elderly men drawn from border villages near the Gaza Strip; and two young children, one of whom was less than a year old during the Hamas-led attack.
Israeli officials estimate that about 35 of the total remaining prisoners in Gaza are dead. But the prisoners have been held incommunicado for more than a year, making it difficult to assess their condition.
In a televised address on Saturday night, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said “most” of the 33 hostages to be freed under the deal were believed to be alive. First, according to the agreement, the live hostages will be released, after which Hamas will send the bodies in the sixth and final week of the initial ceasefire.
How will the release work?
The releases will be gradual, according to the plan. On the first day, Hamas will release three live hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On the seventh day, four live hostages will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
From the 14th day until the fifth week of the agreement, Palestinian prisoners will be released every seven days in exchange for three hostages and women.
The remaining hostages agreed in the first phase will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the sixth week.
Also during the sixth week, after all 33 hostages are freed and returned to Israel, Israel will release 47 prisoners who were re-arrested after being released in the 2011 contract when more than 1,000 Palestinians were freed in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Israeli authorities have established three hostage reception points along the Gaza border, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with protocol. Israeli soldiers, doctors and psychologists will work at these reception sites, the official said.
How many Palestinian prisoners will be released?
Over 1,000 — meaning the initial deal is likely to become one of the largest prisoner exchanges in Israeli history if completed.
Dozens of Palestinians detained in Israel will be released for each hostage in the first phase of six weeks, including some are serving life sentences.
The agreement describes the criteria for exchanging hostages for prisoners. According to the agreement, the release of a live female hostage or a civilian under the age of 18 requires the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners who are women or minors.
The two sides will exchange any Israeli civilian aged 50 or older who is alive for 30 Palestinian prisoners. An Israeli soldier who is alive demands the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for nine Israeli male civilians who are wounded or ill.
Israel will also release about 1,000 Gazans who were detained during the war, provided they did not take part in the October 2023 Hamas-led attack.
How many hostages have already been released?
About 105 hostages — mostly women and children — were released in November 2023 during a one-week truce between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners in Israeli prisons.
At the beginning of the war, Hamas unilaterally released four hostages – two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women. Israel also managed to free eight hostages in military operations, at least one of which was accompanied by devastating bombings and heavy Palestinian casualties.
The bodies of more than 35 others were returned to Israel in various operations during the war, according to the Israeli government.
How many Americans remain hostages in Gaza?
In a speech on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said seven Americans were still in captivity. They were believed to be Edan Alexander and Sagui Dekel-Chen alive since December, according to the American Jewish Committee.
Several of the remaining five were declared dead at the beginning of the war. Their bodies remain in Gaza.
Ephrat Livni contributed reporting.
