More than 15 months after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, a ceasefire agreement came into effect, leading to the release of some hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
On Saturday 15 February, Hamas released three hostages after days of fears over the future of the ceasefire.
The hostages released were Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, Argentinian-Israeli Yair Horn, and US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen.
Hamas had initially seized 251 people on 7 October 2023, with 70 still believed to be in Gaza, but only 35 are thought to be alive.
In addition, three more hostages, two of whom are alive, were taken before 7 October and remain in Hamas captivity.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, a total of 33 hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli custody during the first six-week phase.
These are the stories of those hostages who are still being held, as confirmed by the BBC or other credible sources.
Please note that this list is constantly updated, and names may change as more information becomes available regarding those feared kidnapped, killed, or released.
Last updated on 15 February 2025.
[BBC]
Ariel Cunio, 27, was abducted in the same attack on Nir Oz. His brother Eitan Cunio managed to escape and shared Ariel’s last message stating, „We are in a horror movie.“ Ariel’s partner Arbel Yehud, 29, was freed on 30 January 2025 under the ceasefire agreement.
David Cunio, 34, another of Ariel’s brothers, was also kidnapped from Nir Oz. His wife Sharon Aloni Cunio and their three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly were released in November 2023. Sharon’s sister Daniele Aloni and her six-year-old daughter Emilia were also released the same month.
Twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, 27, were taken from Kfar Aza. Ziv was in contact with a friend as the attack unfolded. The brothers‘ family has been informed by the IDF that they are being held in Gaza.
IDF soldier Matan Angrest, 21, was on duty on 7 October and is believed to be held in Gaza.
Edan Alexander, 20, an Israeli-US citizen who volunteered for the Israeli army, was serving near the Gaza border during the attack. Edan’s family received information from Israeli officials that he was taken to Gaza as a hostage.
Matan Zanguaker, 24, was taken with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky, 31, from Nir Oz. Ilana, a Mexican national, was released on 30 November 2023.
Eitan Horn, 38, an Argentinian citizen, was taken with his brother Yair, 46, from Nir Oz during the attack. Eitan, who works in education, remains in Gaza while Yair was released on 15 February.
Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two sons Ariel and Kfir, aged five and two, are among the 33 hostages scheduled for release in the first phase of the ceasefire. They were taken from Nir Oz along with Shiri’s husband Yarden, who was released on 1 Feb 2025. In November 2023, Hamas claimed they were killed in an IDF air strike, but Israel has not officially confirmed this.
Bipin Joshi, 23, a Nepalese agriculture student, was reportedly taken from Kibbutz Alumim. The Joshi family received confirmation from Israeli intelligence that his phone was traced to Gaza.
Oded Lifshitz, 84, a retired journalist, was taken hostage from Nir Oz. His wife Yocheved was also kidnapped but was freed in October 2023. Oded was listed as one of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the January 2025 ceasefire deal.
Itzik Elgarat, 69, was kidnapped from Nir Oz and reportedly injured in the hand during the attack. His phone was tracked to Gaza post the incident. Israel included Itzik in the list of 33 hostages to be released.
Nimrod Cohen, 20, was taken from Nahal Oz. Following his abduction, his father was invited to meet Pope Francis in Rome along with other families of the hostages.
Tsachi Idan, 50, was taken by Hamas gunmen from his home in Nahal Oz. His eldest child, Maayan, who had just turned 18, was killed in the attack. Tsachi’s wife Gali reported that the last she heard of her husband was from released hostages in November 2023. Tsachi is on the list of 33 hostages to be freed in the initial phase of the agreement.
Omri Miran, 47, was abducted from Nahal Oz. His wife Lishay recalled seeing him being driven away in his car. She and their two young daughters were not taken with him.
Ohad Yahalomi, 50, was abducted from Nir Oz along with his 12-year-old son Eitan, who was released during the November ceasefire. Ohad was also among the 33 hostages expected to be freed.
Tal Shoham, 39, was taken from Be’eri. His wife Adi, their two young children, and his mother-in-law Dr. Shosham Haran were also captured but released in November 2023. Dr. Haran’s husband Avshalom was killed in the attack. Tal was included in the list of 33 hostages to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
[BBC]
Several individuals were abducted from the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, including:
Omer Shem Tov, 22, initially managed to escape in his car but was captured when he attempted to rescue his friends Maya and Itai Regev. All three were taken captive – the Regev siblings were released in November 2023, claiming they had been held with Omer during their captivity.
Israel confirmed that Omer was among the 33 hostages slated for release in the initial phase of the new ceasefire. Yosef Ohana, 24, was at the festival and remained to assist others in escaping the gunfire before being captured. Avinatan Or, 31, was kidnapped alongside his girlfriend but was later rescued, revealing they had been separated during the abduction. Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 23, was seen in captivity in Gaza, as confirmed by his family. Eitan Mor, 24, was working as a security guard at the festival and his family had not heard from him for several months. Alon Ohel, 23, a Serbian citizen attending the festival, was taken hostage by Hamas. Maxim Kharkin, 36, who was invited to the festival at the last minute, has not been heard from since texting his mother twice after the attack. Segev Kalfon, 26, was captured by Hamas while fleeing the festival. Bar Kuperstein, 23, was identified by his family in a video posted by Hamas, but no further information has been received. Eliya Cohen, 27, is set to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to Hamas footage released in June. Elkana Bohbot, 35, was seen in a video posted by Hamas after losing contact with his family. Rom Braslavski, 20, has not been heard from since being caught in gunfire while trying to rescue an injured person during the attack. Omer Wenkert, 23, a restaurant manager, was confirmed to be among the 33 hostages to be released in the initial phase of the ceasefire. Evyatar David, 23, texted his family about the attack and later received a text with a video of him handcuffed on the floor in a dark room. Nattapong Pinta, a Thai hostage, remains missing.
Israel has confirmed the deaths of several hostages, including Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Master Sgt Ori Danino, Abraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtab, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Omer Neutra, Noa Marciano, Yehudit Weiss, Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, Alon Shamriz, Yousef Zyadna, Hamza Zyadna, Bilal Zyadna, Aisha Zyadna, and Shlomo Mansour. Er steht auf der Liste der israelischen Regierung von 33 Geiseln, die gemäß dem Waffenstillstandsabkommen zuerst freigelassen werden sollten.
Forschung von Jamie Ryan und Emma Pengelly
Mehr zum Israel-Gaza-Krieg
[BBC]
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