Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of a exchange with Palestinian prisoners.
The hostage release is fifth in a tense series of exchanges that are part of a 42-day ceasefire contract that suspended Israeli-Hamas combat last month. Hamas has agreed to gradually release 33 of the remaining nearly 100 hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and partial withdrawal of Israel.
Let's take a closer look at the Israelis, which was released on Saturday.
Ohad Ben Ami
Benami, 54 years old when he was accused of Kibbutzbeli in southern Israel, is a Kibbutz accountant and an avid cyclist. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also taken hostage, but was released in the first ceasefire contract in November 2023. Mr. Benami is a double Israeli and German citizen.
“The only important thing is that Ohad will return,” Raz Ben Ami told the New York Times in August, adding, “It's still hard to imagine what life we have after this.” Ta.
Ella Ben Ami, one of the couple's three daughters, was a defender of the voices of the ceasefire contract. She was critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to speak to Parliament in July and said they should not travel abroad until there is an agreement to release hostages. A video posted to social media in August showed Ben Ami that Gaza held the microphone in her hand and called out her father's name, saying she missed him.
In December, on the second birthday of Mr Ben Ami's prisoner, his family marked the day at the ceremony, riding a bike. The path was created to commemorate the 11 cyclists who were killed on October 7th and hostages, including Mr Ben Ami. He said he has not received any signs of his family being alive since being captured.
Or taxation
Mr. Levi was 33 when he was taken hostage. His wife, Einab Levi, passed away on October 7th. Their son, who had only two at the time, was with Levi's mother while his parents went to the Nova Music Festival, an event just a few miles from the Gaza border, which was a key target for the attack. .
Levi texted his mother during the attack from a shelter attacked by extremists. Israeli forces later told their families that Levi's body was found at the shelter and that Levi was being held in Gaza.
The couple both worked in technology and lived near Tel Aviv. Mr. Levy's older brother, Michael Levy, spoke about his brother's misery at an event in California in March. At the time, he said his brother was dead but had not received any signs that he was not very optimistic about the deal.
Eli Sharabi
Mr. Sharabi was also accused of be'eri, and his wife and their two daughters were killed in the attack.
His brother Yossi was also taken hostage in Gaza, where he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, Israeli forces later told his family.
His brother, Sharon, said news of the progress of the ceasefire contract in December “stimulating new hope among hostage families that they might see their loved one again.”
“We lost four,” he said. “We're not going to fill in the fifth co..”
