THE next set of Israeli hostages to be released from Hamas captivity as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement has been revealed.
Six hostages will be handed back to Israel in two batches this week – but fears loom for the Bibas boys, aged 2 and 5, as it remains unknown whether the young pair are dead or alive.
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Two of those who are set to be released within a mere few days are women who were horrifically kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attacks.
Arbel Yehud, 29, and IDF soldier Agam Berger, 21, will be freed alongside a currently unnamed male hostage on Thursday, followed by three more unnamed hostages on Saturday.
Israel had reportedly asked Qatari and Egyptian mediators to get proof off of Hamas showing Arbel alive.
Confirmation was handed over as early as Saturday evening, reports the BBC.
On Sunday night it was confirmed that a dispute over the implementation of the ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas had been resolved.
Israel said that Hamas terrorists had sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages set to be released in the continuing 42-day first phase of the breakthrough ceasefire.
The failure to send the list by Saturday, partnered with Hamas’s failure to free Arbel before IDF soldiers, have been dubbed by Israel as violations of the deal.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the military would now allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the north Gaza Strip, beginning Monday morning.
The office added that Israel had reached the agreement with the terror group following “strong and determined negotiations,” making it clear that it would “not tolerate any violation of the agreement”.
Previous reports emerged from NBC News that US native Keith Siegel, 65, was to be released in the coming week.
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No confirmation has yet been provided and it remains unclear if Keith’s potential release would happen on Thursday or Saturday.
In exchange for the hostages, Israel are to free Palestinian security prisoners, equating to 30 for each civilian and 50 for Agam Berger.
On Saturday, Israel blocked the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza after the release of four female soldiers by Hamas as the terror group have to prioritise the release of civilian women as per the agreement.
One hostage, Arbel, is being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which had reportedly been falsely describing the 29-year-old as a soldier and demanding more prisoners to be released for her to be returned, Times of Israel reports.
On Sunday, local media said that the Jihad group had agreed to classify Arbel as a civilian.
Hamas gave relief to Arbel’s family on Sunday, saying it had given confirmation that she was alive and safe and would be released soon.
Arbel was abducted alongside her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home during Hamas’s October 7 horror attacks that left over 1,200 people dead.
Her brother, Dolev Yehud, was killed by the terrorists while defending the kibbutz and his remains were identified last June.
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Meanwhile fears have grown over the youngest Israeli hostages still being held in captivity after they were not among the four released in the latest prisoner swap.
Kfir and Ariel Bibas, just two and five years old, were snatched by Hamas terrorists but their family recently revealed they have no idea whether the boys are alive or dead.
The children, along with their parents Yarden and Shiri, are all on the list of are on the list of hostages to be released in the first six-week phase of the fragile ceasefire.
Despite this, relatives have received no information since the ceasefire began on Sunday – the day after Kfir’s second birthday.
Israel said they expect to hear more about the captive family soon.
Despite this, the Bibas family’s relatives said their “world came crashing down” when they discovered the boys and their parents were left off the second hostage release list, according to The Times of Israel.
In a heart-wrenching statement, the family called on local media to not forget about “our pain, our struggle, and, most importantly, the crucial discussion about the complexity and tragedy of them not being on the list.”
The family added: “Does the grave concern for their lives cancel out the fact that they are civilians in captivity who must be brought home?
“Does the grave concern for Shiri’s life mean that there is no longer a need to display her photo as a kidnapped civilian in Gaza whose fate remains unknown?”
The family also recently revealed they have no idea if the young boys are dead or alive, after no proof of life has been provided by Hamas.
On Saturday, Karina Ariev, 20, Daniela Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Elbag, 19, were all handed over to the Red Cross by balaclava-wearing Hamas thugs.
The women were all captured as Israeli soldiers rather than innocent civilians caught in the horror October 7 massacre.
The four brave soldiers revealed to local media about life being held by Hamas – and how they took a brave step to humiliate their evil captors after their release.
The women were captured in footage acting calmly and confidently as they smiled and waved to crowds of gunmen and Gaza civilians.
One of the released hostages told Kan TV news: “We showed them on the stage that we were not fazed.
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“It had no impact on us. We are stronger than them.”
Israel went on to delay the return of Gazans to northern Gaza in the as they claimed Hamas breached the ceasefire agreement by the order of the releases.
Arbel’s release on Friday now means the people of Gaza will be allowed to return home, Netanyahu confirmed.
It is believed that thousands of displaced Palestinians had been blocked at the military enforced border for the last two days.
This week will now see the first double releases as pressure mounts to return all the hostages home.
After all six are handed over to the Red Cross, Israel will begin to allow Palestinians to move north on Monday.
The additional Palestinians prisoners will then also be returned to Hamas later in the week, Netanyahu and Qatari officials added.
Brit Emily Damari and fellow Israeli captives Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 were all also freed in the first exchange last Saturday.
Since the ceasefire deal came into force, more than 200 prisoners have also been given back by Israel.
As Israel pushes for answers, the international community is closely watching the unfolding negotiations, which remain fraught with tension.
Over 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, and the prospect of further polarization looms.
Emily Damari was one of the first three Israeli hostages released in phase one of the ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli-Brit lost two fingers after being shot by Hamas during the October 7 attack on her kibbutz, Kfar Aza, where she was ambushed.
Her long-awaited release comes as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds after months of relentless warfare.
The truce was nearly derailed in the final hours of negotiations, but hostages were exchanged as part of the deal, marking the first step toward a tenuous pause in hostilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear this ceasefire is temporary, emphasising: “We are committed to dismantling Hamas and bringing every hostage home.”
The reunion of the hostages with their families in southern Israel was a moment of raw emotion.
But before escaping terror hell, Emily, Romi and Doron were handed Hamas “gift bags” containing haunting mementos of their captivity.
The bags reportedly included photos of the women during their imprisonment and a so-called “certificate” – acting as a grim reminder of their 15-month nightmare in Gaza.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
