Israel on Saturday confirmed the identities of 13 Gaza hostages released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, bringing the total of hostages released as part of the truce deal to 26.
Here are their names and faces:
Emily Hand, nine years old, and Hila Rotem, 13 years old
Emily Hand was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre and was reported as having been killed. The Irish-Israeli girl was abducted from a sleepover at her friend’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri, along with her friend Hila and her mother, Raya Rotem.
Emily turned nine while in Hamas custody. Hila will be returning without her mother, according to Israeli officials.
Maya Regev
Maya Regev, 21 years old, was taken from the Nova party on October 7 along with her brother Itay. On the morning of the attack, Mia's dad got a call from her, screaming: "Dad they're shooting at me; I'm dead!" Maya is set to return without her 18-year-old brother.
Au téléphone avec sa fille, un père entend l'horreurExtrait d'une conversation entre Mia et son père, au moment où elle est sur le point d'être kidnappée par les terroristes du Hamas pic.twitter.com/SQW1xxbiJG
— i24NEWS Français (@i24NEWS_FR) October 15, 2023
Noam and Alma Or, brother and sister; father remains in Gaza
Several members of the Or family were abducted on October 7: father Dror (48) and brother and sister Noam (17) and Alma (13). Yonat, their mother, was killed during the attack, and their brother Yahli survived because he was doing national service in the North. Dror is a chef and cheesemaker in the Be’eri Dairy. His wife, Yonat, created her own furniture line in Be’eri.
Shiri and Noga Weiss, mother and daughter
Shiri (53) and her daughter Noga (18) were abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7. Ilan, their husband and father, left their home in Kibbutz Be'eri armed on the morning of October 7 after receiving a call to the kibbutz's emergency response squad. But he never arrived at the armory; that was the last they heard from him.
Terrorists broke into their home and kidnapped Shiri from the safe room and then set the house ablaze, while Noga was still inside. Noga eventually escaped but was still caught by the terrorists later and taken to Gaza. Two of the Weiss sisters, Meytal and Maayan, escaped abduction through sheer luck as the terrorists hadn't attempted to enter their apartments.
Haran-Kipnis-Shoham-Avigdori family
Several members of this extended family were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri, with some estimates being as high as 10 members.
The Avigdoris, mother and daughter, Sharon and Noam
Sharon (52), and her daughter, Noam (12), were kidnapped on October 7, while on a visit to family members at Kibbutz Be’eri. Hen Avigdori, husband and father, is a television writer whose mission is usually to make people laugh, but now, things are different and he's "on a mission to bring back my girls." Their 16-year-old son, Omer, was with Hen in Hod Hasharon so was spared the horror.
Shoshan Haran
Haran (67) founder of the Fair Planet NGO which helps bring innovative farming and agricultural techniques to less developed parts of the world. The project received praise from the Prime Minister of Bhutan and has been a key in increasing food security for nearly a million people in Africa.
The Shohams, Adi, Yahel, and Neveh
Adi (38), her son Naveh (8), and his sister, Yahel (Yula - 3), were all abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri along with the rest of their extended family members.
Despite the miraculous return of six family members, four still remain behind in Gaza, waiting to be released.