Hamas published three other Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners, in a very theatrical transfer in which men were made to effectively pronounce speeches under the threat of a weapon.
The hostage outing is the fifth of a series of tense exchanges that are part of A 42-day ceasefire This entered into force last month by stopping the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has agreed to gradually release 33 of the nearly 100 hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and a partial Israeli withdrawal.
Here is a more in -depth examination of the Israelis released on Saturday:
Ohad ben friend
Mr. Ben Ami, who was 54 years old when he was removed from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, was the Kibbutz accountant And is a passionate cyclist. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also taken hostage but was released in the first Ceasefire agreement in November 2023. Mr. Ben Ami is a double Israeli and German citizen.
“The only important thing is that Ohad returns”, raz ben friend said to the New York Times in AugustAdding: “It is always difficult for me to imagine our life after that.”
Ella Ben Ami, one of the couple’s three daughters, was a vocal defender of a ceasefire agreement. She was critical The decision of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu To speak at Congress in July, saying that he should not travel abroad until there is an agreement to release the hostages. A video published on Social media in Augustshowed that Ms. Ben Ami near the border with Gaza calling for her father’s name with a microphone in hand and saying that she had missed her.
In December, Mr. Ben Friend’s second anniversary, his family marked the day with a bike ride and a ceremony, according to his brother, Kobi, who said to Israeli media What about 200 people joined them when they were rolling along a bicycle path created to commemorate 11 cyclists killed on October 7 and hostages, including Mr. Ben Ami. He said that the family had received no sign that he had been alive since he had been captured.
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Mr. Levy was 33 years old when he was taken hostage. His wife, Eynav Levy, died on October 7. Their son, who was only two years old at the time, was with Ms. Levy’s mother while her parents went to The Nova Music FestivalAn event held a few kilometers from the Gaza border which was a key target of the assault.
Mr. Levy sent a text to his mother During the attack, including in a refuge which was taken by storm by the activists. The Israeli army then informed the family that Ms. Levy’s body had been found in the refuge and that Mr. Levy was detained in Gaza.
The couple both worked in technology and lived near Tel Aviv. Mr. Levy’s older brother Michael Levy spoke of the disastrous situation of his younger brother to An event in California in MarchOne of the many trips he has made worldwide to put pressure for a hostage agreement. At the time, he said that he had not received any indications that his brother was dead but was not very optimistic about an agreement.
Eli Sharabi
Mr. Sharabi was also removed from Be’eri. His wife, Lianne And their two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed in the attack.
His brother Yossi was also taken hostage in Gaza, where he was killed Israeli air strikeThe Israeli army later said to his family.
The two brothers and their families were very close, Nira Sharabi, the wife of Yossi Sharabi, said in a video Posted by the Smarting and Families Forum.
Mr. Sharabi, 52, had lived on the Kibbutz from the age of 14. It is also where he met his wife when she arrived from England as a volunteer almost 20 years ago. At the time of the attack. Mr. Sharabi was treasurer for the Kibbutz and sat on his economic committee.
His brother, Sharon, said in December that the news of progress in a cease-fire agreement had caused “a new hope among the families of the hostages that they could see their loved ones-and at the same time, tension” .
“We have lost four people,” he said. “We do not intend to fill a fifth coffin.”
