As of Shabbos, six rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges have been carried out under the ongoing ceasefire agreement concerning Gaza, with 14 Israeli hostages still expected to be released during the first phase. Following the truce’s start in January, families of some of the hostages scheduled for release expressed growing concern over the fate of their loved ones. This followed reports from Hamas claiming that eight of the original 33 hostages listed for release had died. In response, the military confirmed that the information from Hamas matched prior assessments, and there are serious concerns about the status of those hostages.
The hostages due to be freed in the first 42 days of the agreement, which began on January 19, are mainly categorized as humanitarian cases, including women, children, the elderly, and the sick. According to the terms of the agreement, Hamas is supposed to provide the names of those to be released 24 hours before each release, though they have failed to meet this deadline in recent weeks.
As of February 15, there are still 70 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 remaining in Gaza, including at least 34 confirmed deaths as reported by the IDF. Among those still on the list for release during the first phase of the agreement are Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33, and her two young children, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2. Israel has been pressing mediators to clarify the condition of Bibas and her children after Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they had been killed, a claim that Israel called “cruel” and unverified. Israel has expressed “grave concern” over the fate of the family.
The remaining hostages to be released in the initial phase also include five older men: Itzik Elgarat, 70; Shlomo Mantzur, 86; Ohad Yahalomi, 50; Oded Lifshitz, 84; and Tsahi Idan, 50. Additionally, six men under 50 are still on the list: Hisham al-Sayed, 36; Omer Wenkert, 23; Eliya Cohen, 27; Avera Mengistu, 38; Tal Shoham, 39; and Omer Shem-Tov, 22. Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been held in Gaza for over a decade after entering the Strip voluntarily. All other hostages were abducted on October 7, 2023.
So far, Hamas has released 24 hostages—19 Israeli civilians and female soldiers, and five Thai nationals—since the ceasefire began on January 19. The group also released 105 civilians during a truce in late November 2023, and an additional four hostages were freed before that. In exchange for the 33 Israeli hostages, Israel has agreed to release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners, including 737 individuals who were not captured during the war and some of whom are serving life sentences for multiple murders.
Despite the terms of the deal, the process has been rocky, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violations at various points. Furthermore, US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza has added further uncertainty regarding the future of the multi-phase agreement.
The 19 Israeli hostages released so far as part of the deal include:

• Romi Gonen, 23
• Emily Damari, 27
• Doron Steinbrecher, 31
• Liri Albag, 19
• Karina Ariev, 20
• Danielle Gilboa, 20
• Naama Levy, 20
• Agam Berger, 21
• Arbel Yehoud, 29
• Gadi Moshe Mozes, 80
• Keith Siegel, 65
• Yarden Bibas, 35
• Ofer Calderon, 54
• Or Levy, 34
• Ohad Ben-Ami, 58
• Eli Sharabi, 52
• Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36
• Iair Horn, 46
• Sasha Troufanov, 28

Future phases of the agreement aim to focus on achieving a “sustainable calm” in Gaza, the release of more hostages, the return of additional Palestinian prisoners, and an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal, which were supposed to begin two weeks ago, have been delayed. The negotiating team initially sent to Doha by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu reportedly only had a mandate to discuss technical aspects of the first phase. Families of the male hostages whose release is not scheduled until after the first phase have expressed deep worry over the delays in negotiations for the second phase.
Beyond those freed through agreements with Hamas, eight hostages have been rescued alive by Israeli forces, and the bodies of 40 hostages have been recovered. This includes three hostages who were accidentally killed by Israeli forces while trying to escape from their captors. Hamas is also holding Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, along with the body of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, who was killed in 2014. Another IDF soldier, Oren Shaul, who was killed in 2014, had his body returned from Gaza in January.
{Matzav.com Israel}