On Saturday, Hamas handed over the first two of six hostages due to be freed at the Red Cross under the latest ceasefire dynamics. The first two hostages, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39, were brought onto a stage in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where they were transferred to Red Cross ambulances before heading to an Israeli border crossing.
Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, was held in Gaza since 2014 following crossing into the area voluntarily. Seeing him for the first time in over a decade, his family celebrated by singing the Hebrew song “Here is the Light.”Shoham, who was taken during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in Kibbutz Be’eri, was reunited with his family. His wife, two young children, and other relatives had been freed in a previous exchange in November 2023.
Shoham’s family expressed relief, saying they were “starting to breathe again” after his return. On Thursday, Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages which include a nine-month-old baby and a four-year-old boy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “It is a difficult day for Israel”. The handing over of the bodies is part of the ongoing ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Additionally, the bodies of the four hostages arrived at the Gaza Strip in Red Cross vehicles and were handed over amid a huge rush including masked militants and onlookers. The entire site is covered with banners and flags. One of the hostage has been sent by Hamas, was Israel’s youngest hostage, whose age was just nine months.
The remains released from the Hamas are of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir and 83-year-old journalist Oded Lifshitz. 9-month-old Kfir was the youngest captive taken that day, he was a red-headed infant with a toothless smile. His brother, 4-year-old Ariel also lost his life in the war, along with their mother Shiri who was seen swaddling the two boys as militants led them into Gaza in the video shot on October 7.
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