Israel releases photos of 33 hostages from the first phase, 8 of them dead
Last Updated on January 19, 2025 6:24 am
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will see the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas. Israeli authorities believe 25 of them are alive and the remaining 8 are dead.
Israeli media outlet Yanet reported this in a report.
Israeli officials said on Saturday that they believe 25 of the 33 hostages scheduled to be released by Hamas are alive. The decision will be implemented in the first phase of the release deal, which has already been approved by the Israeli government.
Under the deal with Hamas, Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners, whose names were released by the Justice Ministry immediately after the government approved it. In addition, 1,167 Gaza residents will be released, none of whom took part in the October 7 massacre. This brings the total number of Palestinians to 1,904.
However, some ministers who oppose the deal have expressed concern that releasing such a large number of prisoners could pose a security threat. According to them, the release of IDF soldiers held by Hamas may also require the release of all terrorists serving life sentences in the future.
The National Security Council (NSC) attached an opinion to the government’s approval. It stated that, according to the security agencies, the adoption of the agreement is now urgent and essential. It will benefit Israel’s broader interests from a strategic and security perspective.
The agreement also achieved political success by passing the Israeli Security Council. In a letter to US President Joe Biden, he said that if the next phase of the agreement is not implemented, Israel will have the right to resume hostilities in Gaza.
On the other hand, according to the agreement, the IDF will be able to control a security zone one mile wide on the border for 50 days.
The progress of the agreement, after 15 months of fighting between Hamas and Israel, has largely been due to the change of administration between Biden and the Trump administration. Hamas was particularly eager to complete the agreement before Trump took office. Israeli officials also said that if the agreement were not reached at this time, the chances of completing it in the future would be greatly reduced.