Here’s what we know about the hostages released Wednesday
Hamas released a group of 10 Israeli hostages and four Thai nationals on Wednesday, its sixth release of hostages since the ceasefire began on Friday.
The group included some relatives of people who had already been released.
Here’s what we know about the Israeli hostages released on Wednesday.
Ra’aya Rotem, 54
Ra’aya Rotem, 54, her daughter, Hila, 12, and her daughter’s friend Emily Hand, 9, hid in her family’s safe room at Kibbutz Be’eri on the morning of Oct. 7 before they were kidnapped. According to The Times of Israel, Ra’aya texted her brother around noon saying that she and her daughter were being taken.
On Saturday, Hila was released from Hamas captivity without her mother, a clear violation of an agreement between Israel and Hamas that children would be released with their mothers, Israeli officials said.
Hila told her relatives that she and her mother had been together most of the time and that they were in captivity. they were only separated for two days before Hila was releasedsaid a report in The Times of Israel.
Itay Regev, 18
Itay and his sister Maya, 21, were at the Tribe of Nova music festival in Re’im on October 7 when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage. The siblings tried to escape together and were captured in Gaza.
Maya, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, was released Saturday without her brother.
Raz Ben Ami, 56
Raz Ben-Ami was kidnapped by Hamas from the Be’eri kibbutz on October 7.
While being held hostage, Ms. Ben-Ami was being treated for neurosarcoidosis, a serious and rare disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves and has caused lesions in her brain and spine.
Her medication suppresses the immune system, leaving her susceptible to infections, and her doctors said they feared she would not survive long in captivity.
Mrs Ben-Ami has had the disease for 13 years. Family members said that although the condition is painful, she has not complained and has maintained a positive attitude. She is an amateur artist and enjoys beading, macramé and jewelry making. She recently started volunteering to do crafts with older adults at the kibbutz.
Her husband Ohad, who was kidnapped with her, remains a hostage in Gaza.
Gali Tarshansky, 13
Gali Tarshansky, 13, was kidnapped alone on October 7 from her home in Be’eri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border. Her brother Lior, 16, who was in hiding with her, was killed, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Ms. Tarshansky is a volleyball player on the Hapoel Ashkelon team and an animal lover, her family said. She also enjoys dancing, music and Marvel movies.
Her mother, Rheumatism, expressed concern for her daughter’s safety at an event in Tel Aviv, according to Reuters reportedwhere other relatives of hostage women and young girls urged women’s rights groups to push for the release of their loved ones.
Her grandmother, Kamelia Hoter Ishay, said Tuesday she feared the deal would fall through.
“The only thing I am waiting for is the call from my daughter Reuma, who will say: ‘Gali is coming back,’” she said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. “And then I know it’s really over and I can breathe a sigh of relief.”
Yarden Roman-Gat, 36
Yarden Roman Gat, a physical therapist who lived on Kibbutz Be’eri, was forced into a car commandeered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, along with her husband Alon and three-year-old daughter Gefen, according to a report in The Times of Israel.
As the car approached the Gaza border, the family saw an Israeli tank and took the opportunity to jump out of the car. As they started running, Mrs. Gat handed her daughter to her husband. The gunmen chased them and shot in their direction.
Ms. Gat was eventually captured and taken hostage, but her husband and daughter managed to evade the terrorists by hiding under bushes and taking cover for 12 hours, according to The Times of Israel report.
Liat Binin Atzili, 49
Liat Binin Atzili and her husband, Aviv Atzili, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
Liat, a dual citizen of the United States and Israel, is the mother of three adult children and a teacher who also works as a tour guide for youth groups at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem. She has traveled extensively in India and loves nature and wildlife. Her husband remains in captivity.
Moran Stela Yanai, 40
Moran Stela Yanai, a self-employed artist and jewelry designer from Be’er Sheva, had gone to the Nova music festival in Re’im to sell her handmade jewelry, the forum for hostages and missing families said.
Ms Yanai contacted her family while trying to escape by car with a friend after the attack began. Friends who survived told Ms. Yanai’s relatives that after the phone call, the group encountered another gang of terrorists. Her friends fled in different directions and lost contact with Ms. Yanai.
Liam Or, 18
Liam Or, a kindergarten teacher in Kibbutz Be’eri, was held hostage in his uncle’s house. He is a chess champion and an avid supporter of the Hapoel Tel Aviv football team.
His uncle, Dror Or, and his cousins, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were taken hostage at the same time. Noam and Alma were released on Saturday. The Or family believes Dror is being held in Gaza.
Ofir Engel, 17
Ofir Engel, a high school student from Jerusalem, was visiting his girlfriend Yuval Sharabi, 17, in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 when he was kidnapped by Hamas militants.
He was taken hostage along with his girlfriend’s father, Yossi Sharabi.
“I feel like yesterday and the day before yesterday, but worse,” said Yael Engel Lichi, Ofir’s aunt.
Amit Shani, 16
When Hamas terrorists entered the safe room of Amit Shani’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri just after noon on Oct. 7, the 16-year-old tried to resist, his mother, Tal Shani, said in an interview last month.
“I said, ‘Don’t do that! Do not! We only have our hands and they have weapons! They’ll shoot you!’” Ms. Shani recalled. The gunmen ordered Ms Shani, Amit and his two younger sisters to march down a road. Amit and two Israeli men from another home were put into a car, Ms. Shani said.
“I begged and cried and begged for him to leave him alone and take me,” Ms. Shani said. One of the kidnappers, she said, pointed his gun at her. She and her two youngest daughters stayed behind and were rescued by Israeli soldiers later that evening. The army later confirmed that Amit had been kidnapped.
“I don’t know how we survived,” she said. “It’s like a nightmare movie.”