Hamas released 58 hostages over the first three days of a planned four-day pause in fighting with Israel. Both sides have expressed openness to extending the pause so they can exchange more hostages and prisoners.
These are some of the hostages Hamas released from Gaza
The estimated 240 people who were kidnapped and held in Gaza are from several countries, but most have Israeli citizenship. Not all are believed to be held by Hamas; smaller militant groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad are potentially in control of some.
Here’s what we know about the people who have been released.
Abigail Edan
Abigail Edan, 4, a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, was the first American hostage freed by Hamas as part of a deal struck with the Israeli military that the Biden administration helped broker. She was the youngest of the 10 Americans believed to have been taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, The Post reported.
On that day, she watched her mother, Smadar, get shot and killed by Hamas militants who broke into their home. Her father was shielding her but was gunned down moments later. She crawled out from under his body and sought refuge at a neighbor’s house. But militants found her there and took her hostage along with the family of five living next door, her relatives said.
For 50 days, Abigail’s family said they did not give up hope that the child — whom they have described as a precocious toddler who “ran” her household — would return home.
Israelis captured at Beeri kibbutz
The 13 Israelis who were released Saturday night were largely from the Beeri kibbutz and included a grandmother and a 3-year-old.
Noam Avigdori, 12, and her mother, Sharon, 52, were kidnapped from the kibbutz while visiting Sharon’s brother. Seven more members of the family were taken captive on Oct. 7, and three were killed.
Alma Or, 13, was also kidnapped from her home in Beeri with older brother Noam, 17. Both were released on Saturday. Their mother, Yonat, was killed in the Hamas attack.
Hila Rotem, 13, and Emily Hand, 9, were also released, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Rotem was kidnapped in Beeri after escaping her house, where her mother, Raaya, was taken. She was eventually found in bushes and brought into Gaza.
Hand, an Irish Israeli, was initially thought to be dead after the Oct. 7 attack. The Israel Defense Forces later informed the family of evidence showing she was among those taken captive in Gaza. She turned 9 on Friday.
“Emily has come back to us,” read a statement from the family released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “We can’t find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days.”
Emily’s family said they were “overjoyed” to be reunited with her and thanked well-wishers for their support.
Shoshan Haran, 67, her daughter Adi Shoham, 38, and her grandchildren Nave, 8, and Yael, 3, were also among those released. In total, eight members of their family were kidnapped, and three were killed.
All were taken in Beeri during a visit with their relatives there.
Shiri Weiss, 53, was also kidnapped in Beeri as her daughter, Noga, watched while hiding under a bed. Noga, 18, then fled her house as it was burned but was eventually taken, too, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Both were released Saturday evening.
Shiri’s husband, Ilan, was also kidnapped and was not among those released.
Adrienne Siegel
David Siegel’s sister-in-law, Adrienne “Aviva” Siegel, was among those freed Sunday. He told The Washington Post that she “has now spoken by phone with her four adult children and sounded excited.”
“She is still to undergo a physical and psychological evaluation at a hospital before being reunited with her family,” David Siegel wrote in a text message.
But the family can’t fully exhale.
Adrienne’s husband and David’s brother, Keith Siegel, 64, is still believed to be held by Hamas.
“We have no news about my brother Keith but are hoping that he will be released in the near future,” David Siegel wrote.
Gelienor Pacheco
Gelienor “Jimmy” Pacheco, a Filipino caregiver who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 was freed Friday along with 10 Thai nationals.
His wife, Clarice Joy Ponce Pacheco, wrote in a Facebook post that it was a “big miracle” that her husband would have a “second life” following his release.
She posted a photo of Pacheco with the family he worked for. “They never left him/us their home family on this battle!” she wrote. Pacheco had been caring for Amitai Ben Zvi, who was killed in the attack.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Friday that Pacheco was in Israel being attended to by Philippine consular officials.
“I salute the work of the Philippine Foreign Service in securing his release, and once again thank the State of Qatar for their invaluable assistance in making Jimmy’s release possible,” he wrote on social media.
Pacheco is among the dozens of Southeast Asian workers who were swept up in the Hamas attack. Many Filipinos work in Israel as caregivers to earn higher wages than they can at home.
It was not clear how many Filipinos were being held captive. At least three were killed in the attack, according to Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.
Thai nationals
A total of 17 Thai nationals were released by Hamas in three groups over the weekend, according to Thai authorities. There are at least 15 Thai nationals still in the custody of Hamas, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.
The latest release occurred Sunday night, on the third day of a planned pause in fighting. Three Thais were among hostages transported by car to the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said. They were uninjured, healthy and able to “walk and talk normally,” he added. “Everyone is very happy to be released. In overall, their mental health is still good,” Srettha said.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with released hostages from Thailand and the Philippines who have been undergoing medical checks at a facility near Tel Aviv. Thai authorities said they hoped to bring back the released hostages “as soon as possible.” Many of them are agricultural workers from the country’s northeast region of Isaan.
Roongarun Wichanguen, sister of released hostage Vetoon Phoome, 33, told Agence France-Presse in an interview that her family had nearly lost hope waiting for her brother’s return. “He seemed okay,” she said after speaking to him this weekend. “He said that he was not tortured or assaulted and had been fed good food.”
Thai officials and Thai Muslim leaders spent weeks negotiating the release of their hostages through intermediaries in the Middle East. After the initial release of hostages, Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara publicly thanked the governments of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran and Malaysia, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, for securing their release.
Jennifer Hassan and Lior Soroka contributed to this report.