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Hamas has handed over a fifth group of Israeli and foreign hostages and they are now back on Israeli soil, the military has said, ahead of the last day of the truce tomorrow.
The Israelis in the group were identified as Rimon Kirsht, 36, whose husband remains hostage, Gabriela Leimberg, 59, and her daughter Mia, 17, who was filmed hugging her dog while flanked by Hamas fighters.
The group also includes Mia’s aunt Clara Merman, 63, Ofelia Roitman, 77, born in Argentina, Ditza Herman, 84, Tamar Metzger, 78. The last three hostages named are Merav Tal, 53, Noralin Babdilla, 60, born in the Philippines, and Ada. Sagi, 75, whose British son, Noam, has been campaigning tirelessly in Israel and London for his release.
The fifth group of hostages is also said to include two foreign nationals, who have not yet been identified, bringing the total released to twelve.
Footage shows captives escorted by balaclava-clad Hamas terrorists into Gaza as they prepare to hand them over to the Red Cross and Israel, with crowds gathered around filming and jeering.
It comes after an attempted halt to fighting appeared to be on the cards as Israel and Hamas traded accusations that the other side had violated the deal for the first time since it came into force.
Hamas fighters accompany the newly freed hostages before handing them over to the Red Cross in Rafah.
The fifth group of hostages is said to include nine women and a child.
Relatives arrive at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv district, as the hostages are expected to be released amid a hostage and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.
One of the hostages was in a wheelchair when Hamas fighters took her to be handed over to Israel.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters talk to members of the Red Cross during the release of hostages in Rafah
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that three explosive devices were detonated near its troops at two sites in northern Gaza, and that terrorists at one location allegedly opened fire on them, which they returned.
Hamas also accused Israel of committing a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire,” to which it said its fighters responded, without providing details. Both sides have stated that they are committed to the current ceasefire.
The already expanded truce agreement is expected to come to an end tomorrow, with the last group expected to be freed before fighting resumes.
Negotiators are desperately calling on both sides to extend the pause further, Egypt and Qatar have said, as international calls for a prolonged ceasefire grow.
A senior Knesset diplomatic source spoke to The Times of Israel about the negotiations to extend the truce: ‘If there is a concrete proposal, the cabinet will consider it, but there has been nothing like that.
“If we see that it is a serious proposal, we will study it.”
Teenage hostage Mia was flanked by Hamas fighters and clutching her dog during her release.
Noam Sagi (left), 53 years old, photographed with his mother, Ada Sagi (right)
But Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas’s military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza.
That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south.
Some 1,200 people died in Israel during the bloody Hamas invasion on October 7 that sparked the war.
More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Hamas captured approximately 240 hostages, and just over 160 are believed to remain in captivity after a series of exchanges with Palestinian prisoners.
Hopes that Hamas could finally return all the hostages safely to Israel were dashed last night when it emerged that some 40 people captured during the ruthless October 7 attacks – including ten-month-old Kfir Bibas – are no longer alive. under captivity of the Palestinian group
The Bibas family, father Yarden, mother Shiri, baby Kfir and four-year-old Ariel, were taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
The image of the two children being carried by their crying mother, Shiri, as they were taken from their homes was one of the most shocking images published in the early days of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The family of the youngest hostage held by Hamas has called for his return, as it was previously confirmed that he was not on the list for the latest release.
Ten-month-old Kfir Bibas has been missing with his father Yarden, wife Shiri, 32, and son Ariel, four, since October 7, and their families hope they will be returned during the extended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
But an IDF spokesman said Shiri, Ariel and Kfir are believed to have been handed over to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a jihadist group that seeks to destroy Israel and has historically rejected any diplomatic engagement with Tel-Aviv.