Israel Names 13 Hostages Freed From Gaza; More Swaps Expected In 4-Day Truce

More Israeli hostages, at least 50, are expected to be released in the next few days. In return, Israel released 39 Palestinian women and minors on Friday.

New Delhi:The Israeli government announced the names of the 13 hostages who were freed from Gaza on Friday, after being kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in the October 7 attack. The 13 hostages included four children, their mothers, and five elderly women. They were among the 240 people who were taken hostage by Hamas gunmen who stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Israeli PM Office said in a statement: “The Israeli government embraces our citizens returning home. The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees and missing persons.”

The freed hostages were given medical check-ups and reunited with their families. The PM Office also shared the details of the 13 nationals who came back to their homeland. The Asher family had three members who returned home: Doron Katz-Asher (34), Raz Asher (4), and Aviv Asher (2).

The Aloni family had two members who were released: Daniel Aloni (45) and Amelia Aloni (5). The Munder family had three members who were rescued: Ruth Munder (78), Keren Monder (54), and Ohad Monder (9). Five more Israeli nationals – Adina Moshe (72), Hana Katzir (76), Margalit Mozes (77), Hanna Perry (79) and Yaffe Adar (85) – also came back from captivity.

The PM Office said the government and the security forces supported the released hostages as they met their kin, who had been waiting anxiously for their return. The release of the hostages was part of a swap deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US and Qatar.

Israel also freed 39 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 24 Hamas hostages, who were also rescued as part of the deal. On Friday, the first group of Israeli hostages were handed over to the Red Cross staff as part of the hostage deal, according to Times of Israel. A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas started at 7 am (local time) on Friday

.After the release of the hostages, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country is committed to bringing back all the hostages from Gaza, which is “one of the aims of the war”. In a video message posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Netanyahu said, “We just completed the return of the first of our hostages: children, their mothers and additional women. Each of them is an entire world.” US President Joe Biden praised the development and called it just the “start of a process”.

e also expressed hope that “dozens of hostages” will be reunited with their families in the next few days. Hamas may free more hostages, if the ceasefire is extended by an extra day for every 10 Israeli hostages, according to The Times of Israel. However, the freed hostages are only a small fraction of the 240 people who are still held hostage by Hamas terrorists since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.