Eight Israeli hostages were freed Thursday after Israel and Hamas reached a last-minute agreement to extend their ceasefire just minutes before it was set to expire.
Two teenagers kidnapped from a Bedouin village in southern Israel — Aisha al-Ziadna, 17, and her brother Bilal, 18 — were first released as part of the seventh round of hostage releases.
Hamas also released six more Israeli hostages today, including Mia Schem, 21; Amit Soussana, 40; Ilana Gritzewsky, 30; Nili Margalit, 41; Sapir Cohen, 29; and Shani Goren, 29, as mediators continue to work on an agreement to further extend the ceasefire, The Times of Israel reported.
Schem, an Israeli-French citizen, was among dozens of partygoers kidnapped by Hamas during the Tribe of Nova music festival on Oct. 7.
He was featured in a Hamas video a week later receiving medical treatment for an injured arm.
Soussana was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza while hiding in a safe room and suffering from a fever, the Times of Israel reported.
Although the cease-fire agreement calls for Hamas to release 10 hostages for each additional day of peace, the terror group said that the two additional Russian-Israelis freed on Wednesday actually counted in today’s quota.
Including the eight hostages freed Thursday, Hamas has freed 105 people over the course of the seven-day ceasefire deal, with Israel set to release 207 prisoners in exchange, all women and minors.
The agreement negotiated between Israel and Hamas saw three prisoners held by Israel released for every hostage released by Hamas.
Aisha al-Ziadna, 17, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7. Courtesy of the family
The al-Ziadna siblings and four other hostages freed Thursday night are on their way to an Israeli hospital to be reunited with their families.
The al-Ziadna family are residents of Rahat, a predominantly Bedouin Arab town north of Beersheba, and about 18.5 miles from Gaza.
The teenagers were kidnapped with their father Yosef, 49, and their brother Hamza, 21, while working in the cattle shed of Kibbutz Holit.
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Yosef and his children were working in the cowshed on Oct. 7 — preparing fodder for the cows and feeding and milking them — when Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, their family told Haaretz earlier this month.
Bilal al-Ziadna, 18, was also arrested on October 7. Courtesy of the family
Their relatives only learned of the abduction from video clips uploaded online by Hamas after they took Bilal and Hamza.
“But we know that the army has cameras on the road to Gaza, so we are asking all relevant agencies to see the footage,” Yosef’s brother Ali Al-Ziadna told the outlet.
“They do it and see them; they brought the footage to our house. It shows the four of them walking – healthy – into Gaza. You can see them crossing the border fence.”
Yosef al-Ziadna, father of 18 and grandfather of 20, was taken hostage. Courtesy of the family Hamza al-Ziadna, 21, was also arrested with his family. Courtesy of the family
Ali said he was worried for his brother – who is a father of 18 and grandfather of 20 – because he has diabetes and may not have access to medication.
He said he hoped the fact that the family was Muslim would hold some sway with their captors.
“Our children are believers, they always pray. I hope their captors realize that they are people who deserve mercy, as does the entire group they belong to. They are laborers who work for a living. They go there to earn a living, not to fight,” said Ali.
The temporary ceasefire agreement has now entered its seventh day, as mediators seek to extend the ceasefire. Reuters
Lt. Col. Wahid al-Huzeil, head of a non-profit group that set up a war room to help free Bedouin hostages, said the fact that Hamas kidnapped Israeli Muslims explained the war was not religious.
“Hamas wants to kidnap anyone who holds a blue ID card,” he told the outlet, referring to the card that shows full Israeli citizenship.
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“The fact that Hamas kidnaps innocent civilians, including women and children, shows that this organization does not represent Islam. It only represents itself. This is a terrorist group.”
The two teenagers are expected to be released Thursday. AFP via Getty Images
In exchange for 10 Israeli hostages, the Jewish state will release 30 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, including eight women and 22 minors, all men, according to The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
Given the shaky nature of the ceasefire agreement, it remains unclear whether Israel and Hamas will be able to negotiate a further extension.
Israeli officials have previously stated that the peace will go no further than Sunday.
With Postal wire
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