Ceasefire deal: What do we know about Israel’s captives held in Gaza?

When Hamas-led Palestinian fighters attacked confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, and took astir 250 radical captive, it acceptable successful question an contented that instantly.

0became vitally important to overmuch of Israeli society.

The captives instantly became a awesome for Israelis, utilized to warrant Israel’s brutal warfare connected Gaza – which has present killed much than 46,800 Palestinians. But the taxable has besides divided Israelis, with many, peculiarly those supportive of the absorption to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting that the authorities has not done capable to unafraid a woody that would pb to their release.

Now that a ceasefire deal has been agreed upon, the nightmare of captivity could beryllium astir to extremity for those held successful Gaza.

How galore captives volition beryllium released from Gaza?

There are believed to beryllium astir 100 Israeli captives near successful Gaza, each of whom are expected to beryllium released if the woody betwixt Israel and the Palestinian radical Hamas is wholly implemented.

But not each volition beryllium released astatine once. In the archetypal six-week signifier of the deal, 33 captives are expected to beryllium released connected a gradual ground successful speech for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli captives to beryllium released successful this signifier see immoderate who are sick oregon wounded, arsenic good arsenic pistillate soldiers and men implicit 50.

Egypt has said that those released successful the archetypal signifier volition beryllium exchanged for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has said that it volition merchandise 95 Palestinians, each women and children, connected the archetypal time of the ceasefire connected Sunday.

The remainder of the captives, each believed to beryllium antheral soldiers, volition beryllium released successful aboriginal phases of the ceasefire deal, successful speech for an unspecified fig of Palestinian prisoners.

What bash we cognize astir the identities of the captives being released?

No authoritative database of the Israeli captives being released successful the archetypal signifier has been published yet, and portion the identities of the captives inactive successful Gaza are known, it is unclear who is inactive alive.

In fact, connected Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire would not statesman until Israel received the database of the captives who would beryllium released.

Hamas has said that a fig of Israeli captives person been killed successful Israeli attacks connected the locations wherever they had been held, but videos person besides been released with messages from immoderate of the captives.

While each of the remaining captives are Israeli, immoderate are dual-nationals, including from the United States, Argentina and Germany.

Five of the captives are believed to beryllium pistillate soldiers who were captured during raids connected October 7.

And 2 of the captives who are expected to beryllium released successful the archetypal signifier are Israelis who were taken captive successful Gaza earlier October 7, and who person spent years successful the enclave.

What volition the handover process beryllium like?

While immoderate captives were freed by Israeli forces successful subject operations that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, much than 100 – the immense bulk of those who person near Gaza – were released successful a impermanent ceasefire successful November 2023.

During that captive exchange, the captives released were transferred by Palestinian fighters to the Red Cross, and past handed implicit to Israeli forces.

Israel has prepared aesculapian teams to person the captives, and the caput of the wellness squad astatine the Hostages Families Forum, Hagai Levine, expects that galore volition person cardiovascular and respiratory issues aft having spent truthful agelong underground successful tunnels.

How important has their captivity been successful Israel?

The taxable of the captives has been a cardinal 1 successful Israel and among pro-Israel supporters since the warfare began.

The merchandise of the captives has been 1 of the superior warfare goals of Israel, but it besides arguably contradicts 1 of the different stated goals, the implicit decision of Hamas.

This is due to the fact that Hamas has offered to merchandise the captives since the warfare began arsenic portion of a woody that would extremity the war, a request that the Israeli premier curate had consistently refused until recently.

In fact, Israel’s far-right nationalist information minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has declared that helium has been capable to usage his governmental powerfulness to halt immoderate woody from taking spot implicit the past year, successful essence placing the extremity of defeating Hamas and gathering amerciable Israeli settlements successful Gaza supra the merchandise of the captives successful a captive exchange. Ben-Gvir is present expected to travel done on his committedness to resign if the woody is implemented.

However, the instrumentality of the captives is the superior request for galore Israelis. Their pictures are displayed connected posters crossed Israel, and the “bring them location now” request is regularly heard astatine protests. A plaza successful Tel Aviv has been renamed “Hostages Square”, and is simply a focal constituent for demonstrations.

Family members of captives person had predominant run-ins with members of Israel’s government, and a question representing them has promised to proceed to propulsion for the merchandise of the captives. “We volition not let them [far-right ministers] to sabotage the afloat implementation of the deal,” a talker astatine an lawsuit supporting the ceasefire woody said connected Saturday.