Twenty-five Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have been released alive as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel that began on 19 January 2025. The bodies of eight other hostages have also been handed over under the agreement, which has seen around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails. Five Thai nationals were freed outside the framework.
On 22 February, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were released in Nuseirat, central Gaza, while Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham were freed in Rafah, southern Gaza. Hisham al-Sayed was handed over to the Red Cross in a private exchange in Gaza City. The final exchange of the ceasefire's first phase took place on 26 February, when the bodies of four Israeli hostages were returned.
Eliya Cohen, 27, was captured after Hamas gunmen attacked a bomb shelter at the Supernova music festival. Omer Shem Tov, 22, was taken while trying to rescue friends; his mother said he was kept alone in an underground tunnel for most of his captivity. Omer Wenkert, 23, was captured after the festival; he later said his first words to his mother were 'I defeated captivity.'
Hisham al-Sayed, 37, a Bedouin Arab Israeli, had been held since 2015 after entering Gaza on his own. His family said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Avera Mengistu, 39, an Ethiopian-Israeli, was seized in 2014; his family said he endured ten years of 'unimaginable suffering.' Tal Shoham, 40, was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri; his wife and children were released in November 2023.
Yair Horn, 46, remains in Gaza along with his brother Eitan, 38. Alexander Troufanov, 29, was freed on 15 February after being taken with family members. Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, was released on the same day; his wife gave birth to their third child during his captivity. Ohad Ben Ami, 55, Eli Sharabi, 52, and Or Levy, 34, were freed on 8 February.
