The families of Gaza hostages Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, and Hisham Al-Sayed have been informed that the six will be released alive on Saturday.
This comes after the Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Hamas will release the six living hostages on Saturday and will also transfer the bodies of four slain hostages from Gaza to Israel on Thursday.
Four of the six will have been in captivity for 505 days, having been taken hostage on October 7. Mengitsu and Al-Sayed have been held in Gaza for around a decade.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said there was "profound joy and relief at their homecoming" but equally devastation at the news that four bodies will be returned on Thursday,
"As we embrace our returning family members, we must emphasize that many hostages remain in captivity, and time is of the essence."
Who is Omer Wenkert?
Omer Wenkert was 22 when Hamas abducted him from the Nova Music Festival on October 7 2023. He is now 23.
Omer suffers from an autoimmune disease and his family said on his website they fear his terrorist captors are not providing him the medication he needs. His condition, colitis, causes ulcers to appear in the digestive tract, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Kim Damti, a friend attending the festival with Omer, was murdered while hiding in a rocket shelter.
Who is Omer Shem Tov?
Omer Shem Tov was abducted from the Supernova Music Festival by Hamas terrorists who drove him and his friends into Gaza.
His family was able to track his live location through his phone whilst he called them, updating them on everything that was happening around him.
Omer was kidnapped alongside Maya and Itay Regev, who were released during the ceasefire back in November 2023.
After learning of his impeding release, Maya Regev wrote on her Instagram account: "I've read this a thousand times and every time I get excited again."
"I never stopped believing that the moment would come and you would return to us, and it will happen so soon."
"A few more days and you will be with us," she added. "Hold on a little longer."
Who is Eliya Cohen?
Eliya Cohen was 26 when Hamas terrorists abducted him from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023 - now, over a year later, his family awaits his release as part of phase one of an incoming hostage-ceasefire deal.
Eliya was enjoying the festival with his partner Ziv, her nephew, and her nephew’s girlfriend when Hamas invaded. Hearing sirens, the pair fled to a shelter which was later renamed the “death shelter” as Hamas murdered most of the occupants. While Eliya was abducted, Ziv avoided detection by hiding under the dead bodies of partygoers for six hours.
Ziv Abud, upon learning the news that he is to be released, wrote, "Eliya is coming home!" in a post to her Instagram.
Who is Avera Mengitsu?
Unlike the majority of those listed, Avera Mengistu was not abducted on October 7, 2023, but has spent 11 years in Hamas captivity.
Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, was said to have been suffering from mental illness when he voluntarily entered the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014.
Originally from Ashkelon, the now-38-year-old was 28 years old when he crossed into northern Gaza after having a fight with his mother, according to Human Rights Watch.
Who is Tal Shoham?
Tal Shoham, a 39-year-old Israeli with Austrian and Italian citizenship, was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 along with eight other members of his extended family. This included Shoshan Haran, 67; Avshalom Haran, 66; Lilach Lea Kipnis, 60; Adi Shoham, 38; Naveh Shoham, 8; Yahel Gani Shoham, 3; Sharon Avigdori, 52; and Noam Avigdori, 12.
Shoham was visiting Be’eri for the holiday of Simchat Torah, with his wife and children on October 7, because his wife had grown up there.
His wife, Adi, and children, Naveh and Yahel, now aged 9 and 4, were released in the first hostage deal on November 25, 2023, after 50 days.
Who is Hisham al-Sayed?
Bedouin-Israeli Hisham al-Sayed was 27 when he wandered into southern Gaza and was abducted by Hamas.
Sayed crossed into Gaza on April 20, 2015. He was believed to have been struggling with severe mental health issues at the time he crossed - having previously reportedly been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a “personality disorder,” and other conditions.
His father, Shaaban al-Sayed, told Walla on Tuesday: "We will be overjoyed to get him home, and we will be even happier when all the hostages return. In the meantime, we are praying and making sure that no one stops until we see him."
"We are not excited or celebrating right now until we know what the real situation is. We were informed that he is returning home. We have waited 10 years - so we will wait until Saturday. We will only be informed on Saturday which hospital he will be taken to, and we will wait for him there, of course. We thank the public for their support during this entire long period."
Danielle Kennard-Greyman contributed to this report.