Avigail Idan (family pic)
On Sunday evening in Israel, 17 more hostages held by the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were taken captive during the barbaric October 7 attack were released. Originally only 13 people were set to be released – all women and children – but an additional Israel hostage, a 24 year old man, who holds both Israeli and Russian citizenship was also released.
Three Asians – not Israeli citizens – who were working in Israel and also taken captive were released too.
The 13 Israeli citizens – four women and nine children –were released to Israel on the third day of a four-day ceasefire during which 50 Israeli hostages, all women and children, are expected to be free. 39 of these have already been released and the final group is expected to come home on Monday, the last day of the ceasefire.
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Ten of the hostages are members of three families, four each from two of the families.
One of the older hostages was reported to have been taken directly to a hospital, but her identity is not known at this time.
One more Israeli citizen – and adult man – who also has Russian citizenship was also released. The details behind his release are not know at this time.
Also, three non-Israelis – foreign citizens – who were among foreign workers in the area of the October 7 attack who were taken to Gaza as hostages have also been released.
The following is the confirmed list of names and ages of the 13 Israelis just released:
Hagar Brodetz, 40
Ofry Brodetz, 10
Yuval Brodetz, 8
Oria Brodetz, 4
Chen Goldstein-Almog, 49
Agam Goldstein-Almog, 17
Gal Goldstein-Almog, 11
Tal Goldstein-Almog, 9
Avigail Idan, 4
Alma Avraham, 84
Aviva Siegal, 62
Dafna Elyakim, 14
Ela Elyakim, 8
Israel is returning 150 terrorists it holds in exchange for the hostages. The terrorists are also all women and people under the age of 18. But they have also been directly involved in violent attacks.
Israel’s Prisons Services confirmed that it had concluded the third phase of the release of security prisoners, as part of the “Heaven’s Doors” operation to return home Israeli hostages during the four day Gaza ceasefire.
Sunday evening, 39 security prisoners were released from a number of Israeli prisons (Gilboa, Katziot, Nafha, Ramon, Damon, Megiddo and Ofer), accompanied by guards of the Israel Prisons Service’s Nachshon unit and with the assistance of the Israel Police.
One of the 39 prisoners was released to Gaza, while the rest were turned over to the Palestinian Authority’s areas in the West Bank.
