They are between 2 and 85 years old and have returned to Israeli territory after nearly fifty days of captivity. A first group of hostages was released on Friday November 24 by Hamas in exchange for around forty Palestinian prisoners, as part of the agreement formalized on Wednesday with Israel, sealing a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip.
Among the thirteen released Israeli hostages were six elderly people, three mothers and their four children, transported to the border with Egypt where they were received by the IDF and taken to hospital. Palestinian armed groups also released ten hostages of Thai nationality and one Filipino, following separate negotiations. In total, of the 240 hostages taken to Gaza during the October 7 attack, 29 have now been released. The Israeli press revealed their portraits.
Hannah Katzir, 77 years old
Like most of the hostages released on Friday, Hannah Katzir, 77, and her son Elad were both kidnapped from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. The father, Rami Katzir, was killed in the attack, says The Times of Israel. According to AFP, this former childminder is the mother of three children and grandmother of six grandchildren.
On November 9, the septuagenarian appeared in a video broadcast by Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, which then announced her death. This had not been confirmed by Israel. She uses a walker and needs medication, according to her family.
Margalit Mozes, 77 years old and Adina Moshe, 72 years old
The video of the kidnapping of 72-year-old Adina Moshe in Nir Oz was posted on social networks by Hamas. The septuagenarian appeared there between two fighters on a motorcycle. According to her grandson, interviewed by CNN, Adina Moshe was forced, in order not to fall from the motorcycle, to hold on to the man who had shot her husband a few minutes earlier. Having undergone heart surgery last year, she needs medication, according to her family.
Margalit Moses, 77, suffers from cancer which requires daily medical care, according to her relatives. She appeared in a Hamas video showing her capture in Nir Oz. She is also German-Israeli.
Yaffa Adar, 85 years old
The video of this great-grandmother, kidnapped by Hamas in a golf cart, made the rounds on social networks. Yaffa Adar’s granddaughter was worried, in the columns of Times of Israel, of her state of health, since she suffers from blood pressure and chronic pain.
Hannah Perry, 79 years old
South African national Hannah Perry, 79, was on the phone with her daughter when Hamas men burst into her house on Kibbutz Nirim. Her daughter then tried to warn her brother, Nadav Popplewell (51), to get to safety. In vain. Shortly after, a photo, sent from Hanna’s phone, confirmed that she had been taken hostage with Nadav. His other son, Roy, was killed in the attack.
Danielle Aloni, 44, and Emilia Aloni, 9
The 44-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter were kidnapped in Nir Oz while hiding in the mamad (safe room) of the house of Danielle’s sister, Sharon Aloni Cunio. To dislodge them, armed Hamas men set fire to the house.
Their family is the one with the most hostages (nine). Danielle and her daughter were captured with Sharon (34 years old), her husband David Cunio (33 years old), their 3-year-old twin daughters, David’s brother, Ariel (26 years old), his partner, Arbel Yehoud ( 28 years old), and his sister, Dolev Yehoud (35 years old). Danielle Aloni appeared in a video released by Hamas on October 30.
Ruti Mundar, 78 years old, Keren Mundar, 54 years old, and Ohad Mundar, 9 years old
Keren Munder, 54, and her young son, were visiting grandparents Ruth and Abraham Munder, 78, at Kibbutz Nir Oz when the community was attacked by Hamas. All were taken hostage. The child celebrated his 9th birthday in captivity.
Abraham Munder is still hostage. Keren’s brother, Roee Munder (50), was killed in the attack. Keren Munder, who lives in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, is a special education teacher and children’s volleyball coach. She works in a school in Bnei Brak, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Doron Katz-Asher, 34, Aviv Asher, 2, and Raz Asher, 5
A mother, Doron Katz Asher (34 years old), and her two daughters Aviv (2 years old) and Raz (5 years old) are also back on Israeli soil. According to Jerusalem Post, Doron’s mother, Efrat Katz (69), was assassinated by Hamas. “Doron’s husband, who tried to assert his family’s German citizenship, called the affair the battle of his life and sought help from the international community, notably by speaking to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz,” reports the Israeli media.
The releases of groups of hostages will continue during the coming days of truce. Israeli authorities announced that 14 hostages held by Hamas and 42 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were to be released this Saturday, November 25. The agreement, concluded after several weeks of negotiations, provides for the release of a total of 50 hostages held by Hamas and 150 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.