Israel at war: What happened on day 54?
Qatar, US pushing to extend ceasefire beyond Thursday morning. Hamas says they're ready to resume combat with Israel if ceasefire expires.
Israel-Hamas deal: These are the 12 hostages released on Wednesday
An additional two Russian citizens were released by Hamas on Wednesday.
Israel has confirmed the identities of the 10 hostages who were released on Wednesday evening, after 53 days of being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
An additional two Russian citizens were released by Hamas on Wednesday.
Raya Rotem
Raya Rotem, 54, mother to Hila Rotem, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists during an attack on their community in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7. This attack resulted in the death of an estimated 10% of the residents and the kidnapping of dozens of people.
She was hiding in her safe room with her daughter that morning and sent a message to Raya's brother at 12:05 p.m., informing him that they were being abducted and taken to Gaza.
This was the last communication anyone had with Raya or Hila.
It wasn't confirmed that they were Hamas hostages until October 29 when their family was informed that they were officially captives in Gaza.
Raz Ben Ami
Raz Ben Ami, 55, and Ohad, 57, were abducted from their home by Hamas in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 during a violent attack.
One of their daughters, Ela, survived and communicated with her father until his abduction.
Both Ohad and Raz were later photographed being pulled by terrorists, and Raz, who has a serious illness, requires medication for pain management, making her situation critical.
Yarden Roman, 36, was also among those released.
Liat Beinin Atzili
American-born couple Liat Beinin Atzili and Aviv Atzili, 49, have been missing from Kibbutz Nir Oz since October 7. Aviv left in the early morning as part of the security response team when Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, while Liat remained in their safe room, last contacting a friend at 11:30 a.m.
Aviv's phone was tracked to Gaza, and their house was found burned, though without signs of struggle.
Aviv's mother, Telma Atzili, 78, hid for 10 hours during the attack and is now in Eilat with her grandchildren.
Liam Or
Liam Or, 18, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with his cousins and uncle from their home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7.
Ofir Engel
Ofir Engel, 17, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists when they attacked his kibbutz on October 7. The Engel family has been missing since then, with the last known communication being with Ofir's mother and her sister when she told her that there were terrorists in their home.
The family's phones were traced to Gaza, and while there were no signs of violence in their home and their dog was alive, their fate remains uncertain.
Amit Shani
Amit Shani, 16, was staying at his mother's home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 when seven Hamas terrorists came into the home and kidnapped him from his room.
According to Amit's father who spoke to BringThemHomeNow, Amit, his mother, and his two sisters were hiding in the safe room when the terrorists came in, threatened them at gunpoint, grabbed Amit, and pushed him into a vehicle with two other hostages.
Gali Tarshansky
Gali Tarshansky, 13, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7. Gali and her older brother Lior were hiding in the saferoom when Hamas terrorists came in, killed Lior, and kidnapped Gali. Her dog Moka was also killed.
Yarden Roman, 36
Yarden Roman was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri the morning after she returned to Israel to celebrate Simchat Torah after a trip abroad with her husband, daughter, and sister. Yarden, husband Alon, and daughter Geffen hid in their family's safe room until terrorists broke into their home and loaded them into a car. As they approached the Gaza border, the terrorists paused for a moment, and Alon and Yarden escaped. She handed Geffen to her husband, and the two of them made it to safety, while Yarden was recaptured and abducted to Gaza.
Itay Regev, 18
Itay Regev, from Herzliya, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his sister Maya, who was released on Saturday. The morning of the attack, Maya called their father, and screamed, "Dad, they're shooting at me, I'm dead." Itay was later seen in a Hamas video, handcuffed in the back of a vehicle.
Moran Stela Yanai, 40
Moran Yanai, a jewelry designer, was selling her work at the Nova festival on October 7. She made several frightened calls to her parents the morning of the attack, who then lost contact. A video later surfaced showing terrorists taking Yanai from a ditch where she was hiding. Family have described her to media as a caretaker of her elderly parents and a committed animal-rescue activist.
Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati
Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati, two dual Russian-Israeli citizens, were taken hostage by Hamas from their home in Nir Oz on October 7. Hamas stated on Wednesday afternoon that they were released as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to the 10 Israelis released as part of the ceasefire deal on Wednesday.
Trupanob's son Sasha and Sasha's partner, Sapir Cohen, are still being held hostage by Hamas. Trupanob's husband, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7.
Hostage release delayed due to 'logistical issues' - Hamas
The release of Israeli hostages from Hamas was delayed on Wednesday evening, with senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Mardawi saying that the delay was due to "logistical issues," according to Arabic-language reports.
Mardawi additionally blamed Israel for difficulties in reaching an agreement on an extension of the deal.
Senior Hamas member Osama Hamdan told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV on Wednesday night that efforts to extend the ceasefire had "not yet matured."
"What has been presented to us so far to extend the ceasefire, we do not find worthy of study," added Hamdan, stressing that Hamas would only accept the end of the war, the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Hamdan stated that Hamas would only speak about releases of soldiers held hostage if the war was ended, adding however, that the terrorist movement would consider exchanging further civilians and extending the ceasefire if Israel releases older Palestinian prisoners.
"The resistance has prepared itself for all possibilities after the end of the ceasefire," said Hamdan. "If the occupation carries out any aggression, the resistance is ready, and if the calm continues, we will continue the calm."
IDF eliminated three terrorists who violated ceasefire - IDF spox.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced on Wednesday that three Palestinian terrorists were eliminated in the Gaza Strip after violating the ceasefire and posing a threat to Israeli forces.
Go to the full article >>Released Russian hostages named as Yelena Trupanob, Irena Tati
The Russian-Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Wednesday were named as Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati.
Trupanob's son Sasha and Sasha's partner, Sapir Cohen, are still being held hostage by Hamas. Trupanob's husband, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7.
Islamic Jihad says it has handed over civilian Israeli hostages under exchange deal
The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement said on Wednesday that it had handed over a number of civilian hostages as part of an exchange deal with Israel.
Red Cross receives Israeli hostages from Hamas
The Red Cross has received the 10 Israeli hostages scheduled for release on Wednesday from Hamas.
Hamas begins handing over hostages to Red Cross
Hamas began handing over the ten hostages set for release on Wednesday to the Red Cross on Wednesday evening.
IDF looking into Hamas claim that Bibas mother, children are dead
The IDF said it was looking into a claim by Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades on Wednesday that Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas were killed after Hamas terrorists kidnapped the three on October 7.
"The terrorist organization Hamas continues to act in a cruel and inhuman manner," said the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. "IDF representatives spoke with the members of the Bibas family, informed them of the claim, and are accompanying them at this time. The IDF is examining the reliability of the information."
"The responsibility for the safety of all the hostages in the Gaza Strip rests fully with the terrorist organization Hamas. Hamas endangers the hostages, including nine children. Hamas is required to immediately return them to Israel."
"The IDF together with all the bodies will continue to accompany the Bibas family, as well as all the families of the hostages. The IDF is working with all means, intelligence and operational, in order to return the abductees home."
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups use such announcements for psychological warfare efforts. For example, the Islamic Jihad had claimed last week that Hannah Katzir, an Israeli woman held hostage by the terrorist movement, had been killed in an airstrike, but Katzir was subsequently released alive in the first release of hostages on Friday.
Hamas seize entire family on October 7 attack
On Tuesday, members of the Bibas' extended family pleaded with the Israeli government and mediators of an Israel-Hamas truce from Egypt and Qatar to help get Kfir, his parents and brother released.
Hamas terrorists seized baby Kfir, four-year-old Ariel and their parents Yarden and Shiri after bursting into southern Israeli towns on October 7, killing around 1,200 people. Kfir is the youngest of the 240 hostages Israel says were captured.
Video of the incident showed a terrified Shiri clutching the children in a blanket as they were bundled into captivity. Another clip showed Yarden with a head injury from hammer blows, Ofri Bibas, Yarden's sister, said.
She told reporters the family was not to be included in the expected release of 10 hostages on Tuesday. Relatives of repatriated hostages have been informed in advance by authorities.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Two Russian hostages released by Hamas
Two Russians being held hostage by Hamas were released on Wednesday "in response to a request from the Russian leadership," Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades said on Wednesday evening.
Blinken says will work on extending pauses in Israel to free more hostages
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that he would work with the Israelis during his trip to Israel in the coming days to see if a temporary ceasefire that has been in place and allowed hostages kidnapped by Hamas to go free could be extended.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels following a NATO meeting, Blinken said the continuation of the pauses would mean more hostages to be freed and more assistance getting into Gaza.
"Clearly, that's something we want. I believe it's also something that Israel wants," he said.
"We're working on that every single day and I expect to take that up tomorrow when I'm in Israel with the government," he added.
Israel-Hamas War: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities