Israel says Hamas list shows 18 of remaining first-phase hostages are alive, 8 are dead; delegation from terror group arrives in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal implementation
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group released a propaganda video Monday evening of civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud, who is due to be released on Thursday.
In the video, Yehoud says the date is January 25, meaning it was apparently filmed on Saturday.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas have previously issued similar videos of hostages held by them, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.
The family asked that the media not broadcast the clip or images from it.
In the video, Yehoud reassures her family that she is “okay,” and says she hopes to return home soon “like the other girls.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Yehoud was supposed to have been released over the weekend, as she is a civilian, but Hamas instead released four IDF surveillance soldiers: Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag.
Israel announced Sunday night that the dispute over Yehoud’s release had been resolved, with the terror group set to release six hostages in two batches this week, including Yehoud and the last remaining surveillance soldier, Agam Berger.
The fate of Yehoud was briefly a major sticking point in the deal’s implementation, with Israel blocking the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza after Hamas released the four female soldiers on Saturday. Under the ceasefire and hostage release deal, the terror group was required to prioritize the release of civilian women.
Once the dispute was resolved, Israel allowed Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor and return to northern Gaza starting at 7 a.m. Monday morning. According to Hamas, “more than 300,000 displaced” Palestinians returned to the north throughout the day.
Yehoud is being held by Islamic Jihad, which was reportedly falsely describing her as a soldier and demanding more prisoners be released in return for her. The Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday evening that PIJ agreed to classify her as a civilian, helping resolve the crisis.
Yehoud, 28, and her boyfriend Ariel Cunio, 26, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
18 alive, 8 dead
Israel said Monday that Hamas finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages, which showed that 18 of the 26 remaining hostages still to be freed are alive and eight are dead, but did not specify which are alive or dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer conveyed the Hamas information to journalists on Monday.
Thirty-three hostages are being freed in phase one of the deal, including the seven living hostages who have gone free since the implementation of the agreement began on January 19.
Hebrew media reported Monday that some of the families of the hostages slated to be released were being informed that there is concern for their loved ones’ lives.
Among those whose fates are unknown are Shiri Silberman Bibas, her husband Yarden Bibas, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that there were “grave concerns” for their lives.
Speaking to Kan, Yarden’s sister Ofri Bibas said the family is still waiting to receive any concrete information, and that “there is no difference between what we knew yesterday and what we know today.”
“We have known that there is grave fear for their lives, since Hamas’s announcement at the end of the previous deal,” she said, referring to the terror group’s claim in November 2023, that Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir had been killed.
She appealed to the public to refrain from spreading “false and unverified news,” and said her family “needs information to come to us from official sources, not from the media and WhatsApp groups.”
Whether hostages are alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking uncertainty for their families, who have pushed Israel’s government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time is running out.
Eighty-seven of those abducted by Hamas in the October 7 onslaught remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
In addition to the seven hostages released during a ceasefire that began this month, Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages were rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military, as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza this month.
Hamas delegation in Cairo
A high-ranking Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday evening, saying it aimed to discuss the implementation of all three phases of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The Hamas statement said the delegation includes senior leader Mohammed Darwish and other prominent members of its leadership council and negotiating team.
The terror group said meetings with Egyptian officials will focus on ensuring progress in the ceasefire’s implementation and addressing any challenges in the ongoing exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas delegation will also meet with Palestinian prisoners released under the ceasefire’s six-week first phase that began just over a week ago.
Egypt is a key mediator in ceasefire talks and part of the joint committee implementing the deal.
The Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo as US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is on a diplomatic trip in the region, in part to work to secure the implementation of the second and third phases of the ceasefire deal.
Witkoff is slated to visit Israel this week, after visiting Saudi Arabia.
Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is planning for the premier to travel to Washington next week to meet with Trump, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
The trip has not been finalized and will be dependent on Netanyahu’s health, as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Thursday.
If he travels, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term, a gesture from the US president to the Israeli leader, in return for him acceding to pressure to reach a deal in Gaza.
As reported by The Times of Israel