Daniele Aloni and her six-year-old daughter Emilia were released as part of the deal
Twenty-four hostages held in Gaza have been released – they were taken captive during the 7 October attacks on Israel.
Thirteen hostages – all women and children – were freed as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, 10 Thai hostages and one Filipino have been released as part of a separate deal between Hamas and the Egyptian government.
Under the terms of the Israel-Hamas temporary truce, a total of 50 hostages will be released during a four-day pause in fighting which began on 24 November at 07:00 (05:00 GMT).
Hamas says 150 Palestinian women and teenagers will be released from Israeli jails under the deal, and hundreds of lorries of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and fuel will be allowed into Gaza.
Who are the released Israeli hostages?
Margalit Mozes, 78, who was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A cancer survivor, her family say she has other health problems that require almost constant medical care.
Adina Moshe, 72, was also kidnapped from Nir Oz on 7 October. Her husband Said Moshe was killed in the attack, according to a group that has been speaking on behalf of many hostages and their families. Afterwards, she was identified by her family in a video clip showing her wedged between two Hamas fighters on a motorbike.
Daniele Aloni, 44, and her six-year-old daughter Emilia were kidnapped from Nir Oz along with Daniele’s sister Sharon Aloni Cunio, 34, her husband David Cunio, 33, and their three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly.
Doron Katz Asher, 34, and her two daughters Raz, four, and Aviv, two, were taken captive while staying with relatives near the Gaza border. Doron’s husband, Yoni, saw a video of his wife and daughters being loaded on to a truck with other hostages. He also traced Doron’s mobile phone to Gaza.
“I am determined to bring about the resurrection of my family from the trauma and the terrible bereavement we went through,” Mr Asher told the BBC following their release.
“I don’t celebrate, I won’t celebrate until the last of the kidnapped returns,” he said.
“The families of the kidnapped are not posters, they are not slogans, they are real people, and the families of the kidnapped are from today my new family, and I will make sure and do everything that the last of the kidnapped comes home.”
Ohad Munder-Zichri, nine, his mother, Keren Munder, 54, and his grandmother Ruthi Munder, 78, were kidnapped from Nir Oz, Israeli officials said. The Associated Press reported that a phone signal has been traced to Gaza. Ohad’s ninth birthday took place while he was in Gaza. Avraham Munder, Ruthi Munder’s husband, Keren’s father and Ohad’s grandfather, is still being held hostage.
Itay Ravi, Avraham’s nephew, told BBC Newsnight the release of some of his family members was “one step towards being happy” but that “it’s still a very, very horrific reality that we’re in”.
Channah Peri, 79, was taken hostage along with her son Nadav Popplewell, 51, said Channah’s daughter Ayelet Svatitzky, who was speaking to them on the phone when the gunmen burst in. She said the captors sent pictures of her two relatives, who both have diabetes, with armed men in the background. Channah emigrated to Israel in the 1960s from South Africa and has three children, the group speaking for families said.
Hanna Katzir, 77, appeared in a hostage video released by Islamic Jihad on 9 November. In it, she is seen sitting in a wheelchair as she addresses the camera. She was abducted from Nir Oz, along with her son, Elad Katzir, 47.
Yafa Adar, 85, was kidnapped from Nir Oz. Her granddaughter Adva found a video of her being taken to Gaza, surrounded by four armed men. She has three children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, the group speaking for families said. Yafa’s grandson Tamir, 38, who defended the kibbutz as part of the Nir Oz emergency squad, was also taken to Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.
Hostages already freed
Prior to the deal struck between Israel and Hamas, four hostages were released, and another was freed by Israeli forces:
- Two Americans – Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan – were released on Friday 20 October
- Two elderly women – Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifschitz – were freed on Monday 23 October
- An Israeli soldier – Ori Megidish – was freed during ground operations in Gaza on 29 October
Foreign nationals
Gelienor ‘Jimmy’ Leano Pacheco, 33, is one of 11 foreign workers and the only Filipino to have been released as part of a separate deal between Hamas and the Egyptian government. The father of three had been in Israel for the past four years as a caregiver to 80-year-old Amita Ben Zvi in the Nir Oz kibbutz, whom Pacheco said was killed in the 7 October attacks.
Boonthom Pankhong, 39, and his girlfriend, Natthawaree Mulakan, were two of the Thai hostages released by Hamas on Friday. Boonthom’s sister Urai Chantachart told BBC Thai that the family was “overjoyed”. “Our family has been suffering for over a month, but we never thought he was dead. We strongly believed that he [was] still alive,” she said. She added he had been working in Israel for five years when he was kidnapped, and was the family’s main breadwinner.
It was feared Wichai Kalapat was among the Thai nationals killed in the Hamas raid but his girlfriend received word last week that he was being held hostage in Gaza. She told the BBC she was “so happy” because she did not think he would be among those who were released.