This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Hamas has released a list to Israel's mediators of the 33 people scheduled for release over the coming days; a group on Thursday, followed by another cohort on Sunday. It also includes the names of eight people no longer alive and who are also due to be handed back to Israel.
According to Israeli officials, the list was divided into categories: women and men, living and deceased. The list revealed the majority of the additional 26 hostages slated for release in the first phase are still alive. Seven of the original list of 33 have been released to Israel – via the Red Cross in Gaza – over the past two Saturdays.
Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa – whom Hamas lied about and said had died in IDF bombing – and Naama Levy were released on Saturday; the previous weekend, Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and dual nationality U.K.-Israeli Emily Damari were released.
Israeli authorities updated the families. Some were informed that the list confirms the assessment their loved ones are alive. But other families were given the news all of the hostage families have dreaded for almost 480 days, and their nearest and dearest would not leave Gaza alive.
However, it was clarified to these families a hostage cannot be officially declared dead while their body remains in captivity unless Israel obtains unequivocal evidence. No doubt this is a source of scant succor to people in indescribable psychological pain and trauma.
Overnight, Israel received assurances from both the United States and Qatar, that the female civilian Arbel Yahoud would be freed as per the original ceasefire conditions of releasing the civilians first. She is expected to be freed along with Agam Berger, the only remaining IDF female lookout in captivity.
She was held with the four who were released on Saturday, but separated from them as Hamas seeks yet more ways to amplify the psychological torture. An unnamed hostage will also be released with Yahoud and Berger. The failure to resolve the situation regarding Yahoud meant the IDF would not permit residents of Gaza's north, who were moved to the south in the early part of the fighting. The resolution of the impasse meant they were able to resume their northward journey from 7 a.m. Monday.
While Israel has rejoiced at the reunification of families, there is no doubt the country is holding its collective breath over the fate of the Bibas family, and in particular Ariel, 5, and baby Kfir, 2. With Hamas playing games with the terms of the ceasefire – and which are deliberately designed to antagonize hostage families further – there is real concern for two red-headed little boys, one of whom has spent the majority of his short existence in Hamas captivity.
The family has described how their "world came crashing down" when the list of hostages to be released last Saturday, did not, as it should have done, include the names of civilians. A cousin of Shiri Bibas, the woman shown dazed and confused as she cradled her baby, and her other son clung onto her, while surrounded by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, said the remaining family was living in an "ongoing nightmare."
Hamas said Shiri and the two boys were killed in an IDF airstrike in November 2023, although there has been no official confirmation of their deaths. The terrorist group released a propaganda video of their operatives telling a grief-stricken Yarden Bibas, Shiri's husband and the father of the two boys, his family was dead.
