Relatives of six Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Tuesday that they will be released on Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement, after Hamas announced that it would release the remaining living hostages from the first phase of the truce on February 22.
In statements and announcements on social media, the families of Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkrat, Avera Mengistu, Hisham al Sayed, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen They said Israeli authorities hope their relatives will be released alive on Saturday.
The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, which represents the majority of the relatives of those kidnapped on October 7, welcomed the news of the release of the six captives alive, But he said he was “devastated” by the news that four more hostages would be returned dead on Thursday.
Hamas negotiating delegation leader Jalil al-Haya announced in a video message on Tuesday that the terrorist group will hand over the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, including Israeli Shiri Silberman of Argentine and Peruvian descent and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir Bibas.
In addition, the group expects to hand over four more lifeless bodies of hostages next week, in order to complete the 33 releases planned in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Last week, the Kisufim kibbutz, where Israeli hostage Shlomo Mansur was a resident, announced his death in captivity. The 85-year-old Israeli is on the list of 33 hostages to be released during the first phase.
That leaves four more names on the list: Itzik Elgarat, 70; Ohad Yahalomi, 50; Oded Lifshitz, 84; and Tsahi Idan, 50. Israel has not yet confirmed the deaths of any of them, except for Mansur.