Israel says eight hostages to be released in first phase have died.
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Israel says eight of the remaining 26 hostages scheduled to be released by Hamas in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal have died.
Government spokesman David Mencer told reporters that Israel had received a list overnight from the Palestinian armed group providing information on the status of the hostages.
"The Hamas list matches Israeli intelligence, so I can tell you that... eight have been killed by Hamas," he said, without naming them. "The families have been notified of the condition of their loved ones."
Seven women have already been released alive in exchange for more than 290 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails since the ceasefire on January 19. On Sunday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Hamas had agreed to release civilian Arbel Yehud, soldier Agam Berger and another hostage on Thursday.
Three more hostages will be released by the group on Saturday, it said.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 47,310 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel says 87 of the hostages remain in captivity, 34 of whom are presumed dead. In addition, three Israelis were kidnapped before the war, one of whom died.
One of the hostages that Israel says must be released first is Or Levy, 34, who was attending the Nova music festival with his wife Eynav on October 7, 2023.
The couple, whose son Almog is now three, fled to a roadside bomb shelter after an attack by Hamas gunmen. Eynav was killed in the shelter while Or was kidnapped and returned to Gaza.
At the Tel Aviv hostage square over the weekend, Ori's brother Michael told the BBC that waiting to learn the status of the 26 remaining hostages was like being immersed in "a reality invented by the devil himself and part of a 'devil's show' from which Hamas benefits". He also said he had received no indication when Or would be released and that there would be what he described as "an end date for this nightmare."
Michael also said he feared Hamas could delay his brother's release even further.
"We can't just sit back and hope for the best. We have to keep going. And until he's there, I won't believe it's really happened."
On Saturday, after the release of four female Israeli soldiers in the second ceasefire exchange, the Israeli military spokesman said he was "extremely concerned" for the well-being of the three hostages — Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two sons, Kfir, two, and Ariel, five. In November 2023, Hamas claimed they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. However, the Israeli military has not confirmed their deaths and the Israeli government has insisted they were among the 33 hostages surrendered in the first phase.
Negotiations for the second phase – which would see the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the "restoration of a lasting calm" – are due to begin on 4 February.
The third and final phase would involve the reconstruction of Gaza, which could take years, and the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is demanding that the Israeli government implement all three phases and ensure the return of all hostages. "We are not complete without everyone. Our nation needs everyone at home, together. Every last pedestrian," he said.
Separately, the deputy chief of the Israeli army's medical corps said that some of the seven recently released hostages had spent "all their time in underground tunnels" in recent months.
"Some of them were alone the entire time they were there," Colonel Avi Banov said, according to the Reuters news agency. "Those who said they were together were in better shape." »
The hostages said their treatment improved in the days before their release, when they were allowed to shower, change clothes and receive better food, he added.
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