Seventeen captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were freed on Sunday as part of an agreement between Israel and the Islamist organization on a cease-fire and prisoner swap. In exchange, Israel freed 39 Palestinian youngsters from Israeli jails, according to a Qatari spokeswoman.
According to the captives and Missing Persons Families Forum, the captives released by Hamas included 4-year-old American citizen Abigail Mor Edan, as well as Hagar Brodutch, 39, and her three children, Ofri, 10, Yuval, 8, and Uriah, 4.
Abigail fled Hamas after her parents were assassinated on October 7, and was discovered by Brodutch’s husband, Avihai, and brought to their home. Avihai was not kidnapped, but Abigail was, along with Hagar Brodutch and her three children.
Abigail fled Hamas after her parents were assassinated on October 7, and was discovered by Brodutch’s husband, Avihai, and brought to their home. Avihai was not kidnapped, but Abigail was, along with Hagar Brodutch and her three children.
Hagar Brodutch, who grew up on Kibbutz Gvulot, relocated to Kibbutz Kfar Aza nine years ago. According to the forum, she, Ofri, and Yuval all enjoy rock music. Ofri, whose birthday was the day following her kidnapping, even plays the guitar.
According to the site, the Goldstein-Almog family was also released on Sunday. Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48, was freed with her three children, Agam (17), Gal (11), and Tal (8).
According to the group, Chen’s husband, Nadav, and eldest daughter, Yam, were slain in the Oct. 7 attack.
“Chen and her late husband Nadav’s motto has always been to never leave their home in kibbutz Kfar Aza,” according to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum. “Chen and Nadav met already in high school at Sha’ar HaNegev, and have been together since age 14.”
The captives rescued included Dafna Elyakim, 15, and her 8-year-old sister Ela Elyakim, according to the site. The girls were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Both sisters were characterized as happy, creative young ladies. Dafna enjoys singing, making TikTok videos, and doing arts and crafts, while Ela has been dancing since she could walk, according to the forum.
Hamas also freed Roni Krivoi, 25, who was working on a sound crew at the Supernova event when he was kidnapped on Oct. 7. According to the forum, he is “a very family-oriented, friendly, and reliable person.”
In the three days of stopped warfare, 58 hostages have been released from Gaza, including people from Thailand, the Philippines, and Russia.
Sunday’s release came after a tense exchange on Saturday that was delayed by hours after Hamas claimed Israel had committed “several violations of the agreement,” including not releasing inmates in the agreed-upon order and not delivering adequate assistance to northern Gaza.
On Saturday, 17 hostages in Gaza, including 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals, were exchanged for 39 Palestinian inmates held by Israel. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, it assisted in the release of 33 Palestinians to the West Bank.
On Friday, the first day of the prisoner exchange, 24 hostages were released from Gaza in return for 39 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, including 13 Israelis, ten Thai citizens, and one Filipino person.
The temporary cease-fire agreement was reached between the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel on Friday and is slated to expire on Monday.
By the end of the four-day arrangement, Hamas is scheduled to release at least 50 hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. Israel has stated that for every ten additional hostages freed, it will agree to an additional day of cease-fire.
Hundreds of relief vehicles will also be permitted to enter Gaza during the cease-fire to deliver food, water, gasoline, and medical supplies to the territory.
On Saturday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported receiving 187 assistance vehicles. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, another 200 trucks were anticipated to enter Gaza on Sunday, marking the greatest number of relief trucks entering northern Gaza since the beginning of the conflict.
