In a surprising announcement, a leader from Hamas said the group will let go of six Israeli hostages on Saturday and return the bodies of four others on Thursday. This includes the Bibas family, who many Israelis see as a symbol of the hostages’ suffering in Gaza.
Israel is very worried about a woman named Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, but they have not confirmed if they are dead. Hamas claims they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the conflict. Kfir, who was just 9 months old at the time, was the youngest hostage taken during Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023. A video showed Shiri wrapping her boys in a blanket before armed men took them.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded message that the Bibas family’s bodies would be part of the handover, which is the first under the current ceasefire agreement. The six living hostages being freed on Saturday are the last ones to be released during this first part of the ceasefire. Initially, only three were supposed to be released, but Hamas changed the plan.
It is unclear why this change happened, but an anonymous Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to allow much-needed mobile homes and construction supplies into Gaza to help speed up the hostages’ release. Last week, Hamas threatened to delay the release of the hostages because Israel had not allowed these items into Gaza, among other claimed violations of the ceasefire.
The release of hostages has been part of an agreement where Israel releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Since the ceasefire started in mid-January, the fighting between Israel and Hamas has lessened, allowing aid to flow into Gaza and many Palestinians to return to their homes as Israeli forces pulled back.
Next, both sides need to talk about a second, more challenging phase, where Hamas will free more hostages in exchange for a longer ceasefire and Israel leaving Gaza. However, Israel says it wants to destroy Hamas’ military and government power in the region. Hamas has reestablished its control during the ceasefire, despite losing some leaders and fighters.
Also, a new proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump suggests moving Palestinians out of Gaza so the U.S. can develop the area, but this has been rejected by Arab nations and the Palestinians, who fear they won’t be allowed to return. Israel supports this idea and claims they have common goals in the conflict.
Many Israelis were shocked when three very thin hostages were seen in an earlier release this month. News that some hostages were kept alone, barefoot, or in chains has increased pressure on Netanyahu’s government to move forward with the next part of the ceasefire. Families are worried that time is running out, especially with the news about the Bibas family.
