Family members of several hostages, who are set to be released from Gaza in the near future, voiced their anxiety about the fate of their loved ones on Tuesday after Hamas shared information indicating that eight of the 33 hostages scheduled for release are dead.
Following this update, the families were informed by the military that Hamas’s report was consistent with earlier military assessments, and there were significant concerns about the hostages’ conditions.
Hamas provided a list, reportedly consisting of only numbers without names, indicating how many of the 33 hostages in the first phase of the ceasefire were alive. As part of the agreement with Israel signed earlier this month, Hamas was obligated to provide this information about the hostages’ statuses.
The families confirmed that Gal Hirsh, the government official overseeing hostages, had contacted them recently, explaining that although the information from Hamas was incomplete, it was consistent with the assessments of Israel’s intelligence agencies.
“It’s not exactly data. It’s Hamas saying [the number of] ‘alive,’ ‘released,’ and ‘dead,’” said Yizhar Lifshitz, whose father, Oded Lifshitz, 84, is on the list of the first 33 hostages to be released.
Yizhar added, “There’s a grave concern for his life after this last indication.” He further explained that the last sign of life from his father was on Day 25. “He was alive, with someone from the kibbutz, [being held] in the same apartment, but he didn’t feel well. They took him, and he’s basically disappeared since then, from us and probably from Hamas too. It doesn’t bode well.”
Oded Lifshitz, along with his wife Yocheved, was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 cross-border attack that triggered the war. Yocheved was released after 20 days in captivity.
Danny Elgarat, whose brother Itzik is among those set to be freed, expressed anger on Tuesday to a Knesset committee, saying, “my brother was left to die,” referring to the document from Hamas. He added, “We know more today about the list that Hamas sent. I won’t speak for others, but we’ll probably receive him as one of the slain.”
Elgarat continued, “It was possible to save him, if you’d accepted the earlier deal,” and criticized the government’s decision to apply military pressure on Hamas rather than accepting a ceasefire deal sooner. “Who will be held accountable for this decision that killed 40 hostages?” he asked.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari spoke on Sunday, expressing “grave concerns” about the fate of Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, and said more information would be expected soon regarding the Bibas family.
The ceasefire agreement, which began on January 19, is based on a proposal presented by the U.S. in May 2024. Far-right politicians, opposed to the deal, have claimed responsibility for the agreement’s failure earlier in May, although both the government and the U.S. have blamed Hamas for the delay.
The 33 hostages who are to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal include women, children, elderly, and sick individuals. As they are gradually freed, Israel is required to release approximately 1,904 Palestinian prisoners, including over 100 serving life sentences for terror-related offenses.
The later phases of the agreement will focus on securing a “sustainable calm” in Gaza, continuing the release of hostages, freeing additional Palestinian prisoners, and involving an Israeli withdrawal from the area.
At least 34 of the 87 hostages still held in Gaza have been confirmed dead by the IDF, and the remains of 40 others have been recovered throughout the conflict.
{Matzav.com}