A ceasefire agreement reached this week between Israel and Hamas will begin the release of dozens of hostages that Hamas and its allies have held in Gaza since the war began more than a year ago.
Around 100 hostages, living and dead, are believed to be held in Gaza. Most of them were seized when Hamas entered Israel on October 7, 2023, in an attack that killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
According to the agreement, 33 of the remaining hostages will be released during the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, the first major release since a one-week ceasefire in November 2023. In exchange, Israel will release more than 1,000 imprisoned Palestinians.
According to the agreement, the first hostage and prisoner exchanges will begin by 4pm on Sunday. Here’s what we know about how the plan predicts release.
Who are the hostages to be released?
The 33 hostages to be released in the first phase include female soldiers, civilians, children, men over 50, and “humanitarian” cases of sick and wounded people.
Among the hostages that fit that profile is a young female soldier who was abducted from a military base. Elderly men dragged from a border village near the Gaza Strip. and two young children, one of whom was less than a year old at the time of the Hamas-led attack.
Israeli authorities estimate that about 35 of the total prisoners remaining in Gaza have died. However, the prisoners have been kept in isolation for more than a year, making it difficult to assess their condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address Saturday night that “most” of the 33 hostages to be released under the deal are believed to be alive. According to the agreement, living hostages will be released first, then Hamas will send in bodies in the sixth and final week of the initial ceasefire.
How does the release work?
According to the plan, the release will take place in stages. On the first day, Hamas releases three living female hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On the seventh day, four living female hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
From the 14th day to the fifth week of the agreement, Palestinian prisoners will be released every seven days in exchange for three male and female hostages.
The remaining hostages agreed to in the first phase are expected to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the sixth week.
Also, if all 33 hostages are released and returned to Israel, Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinians in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit during the 6th week of the 2011 agreement. The plan is to release 47 prisoners who were rearrested after being released.
Israeli authorities have set up three reception points along the Gaza border to receive hostages, said an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity out of protocol. These reception desks will be staffed by Israeli military personnel, doctors and psychologists, officials said.
How many Palestinian prisoners will be released?
More than 1,000 people – meaning the first deal, if completed, will likely be the largest prisoner exchange in Israeli history.
Dozens of Palestinians held in Israeli custody will be released after an initial six-week period, with some facing life sentences.
The agreement sets out criteria for exchanges of hostages and prisoners of war. According to the agreement, the release of the remaining female hostages and civilians under the age of 18 would require the release of 30 female and minor Palestinian prisoners.
The two countries will exchange one living Israeli civilian male over the age of 50 and 30 Palestinian prisoners of war. Living Israeli female soldiers demand release of 50 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for nine injured or sick Israeli male civilians.
Israel also plans to release about 1,000 Gazans held during the war on the condition that they not take part in the Hamas-led offensive in October 2023.
How many hostages have been released already?
Approximately 105 hostages, mostly women and children, were released in November 2023 during a week-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
Early in the war, Hamas unilaterally released four hostages (two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women). Israel also succeeded in freeing eight hostages in military operations, at least one of which was accompanied by devastating bombings and numerous Palestinian casualties.
The bodies of more than 35 others were brought back to Israel in various operations during the war, the Israeli government said.
How many American hostages remain in Gaza?
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a speech Tuesday that seven Americans remain in custody. Edan Alexander and Sagi Dekel-Cheng Still alive as of December, According to the American Jewish Committee.
Several of the remaining five were declared dead early in the war. Their bodies remain in Gaza.
Efrat Livni Contributed to the report.
