Hamas released 12 additional hostages from custody Tuesday – including an 84-year-old 20-year-old grandmother and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who teaches Israeli Arabs to try and help improve relations with its neighbors in Gaza.
So far, Hamas has released 81 hostages since the ceasefire agreement began on Friday, with Israel freeing 147 Palestinian prisoners in return.
The ceasefire has been extended until Wednesday, when at least 10 more hostages are expected to be released.
Negotiators are continuing talks to extend the ceasefire until at least Friday.
Here are 10 Israelis — all women between the ages of 17 and 84 — who were recently released:
Mia Leimberg, 17, was released with her dog, Bella, on Tuesday. via REUTERS Gabriela Leimberg, 59, was with her daughter, Mia, and her family at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak when they were abducted. AFP via Getty Images
Gabriela and Mia Leimberg
Gabriela Leimberg, 59, and her daughter Mia, 17, were living with their family in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak when they were kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7.
Their relatives told reporters earlier this month that the family was gathering for the Sukkot holiday when they were forced to hide in the house’s safe room when the terrorist attack began and Gabriela, Mia and other relatives were eventually arrested.
Mia is a student at the Jerusalem High School of Arts, and Gabriela is the director of Eyal’s Farm, a farm for autistic adults in Jerusalem, according to the Times of Israel.
Mia was among the first hostages described as being freed by Hamas on Tuesday, with the teenager taking her dog Bella with her.
Clara Marman, a relative of the Leimbergs, was also released on Tuesday. via REUTERS
Clara Marman
Clara Marman, 62, is the sister of Gabriela Leimberg who hosted the family holiday during the terrorist attack.
Marman lives in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak with his partner, Luis Norberto Har, who remains in Hamas custody with Marman’s brother, Fernando.
Har’s daughters said they received a terrifying message, “They’re in,” from their family when Hamas gunmen broke into their father’s home and kidnapped the tribe.
Marman worked as a kindergarten teacher for 30 years, according to the organization Bring Them Back, which supports the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
Ada Sagi dedicated herself to teaching Israelis Arabic to help them improve relations with their Palestinian neighbors. AP
There is Sagi
Ada Sagi, 75, was preparing to go to London to celebrate her birthday when she was kidnapped by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Sagi, a mother of three and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, was born in Tel Aviv and committed to learning Arabic to make friends with her Palestinian neighbors.
He continues to teach the language to others in Israel as a way to try and improve relations between Israelis and Palestinians living in Gaza.
Her son Noam said Sagi was abducted while still recovering not only from the physical pain of recent hip replacement surgery but also from the heartache of losing her husband to cancer last year.
Ditza Heiman, 84, a grandmother of 20, was released in a wheelchair after more than seven weeks in captivity. AFP via Getty Images
Ditza Heiman
Ditza Heiman, 84, a grandmother of 20, was living in a small neighborhood about 1.5 miles from the Gaza border when she was kidnapped by Hamas.
A family member had called Heiman’s phone during the attack, and someone picked up the phone and answered in Arabic, ‘This is Hamas. It’s Hamas,” ABC reported.
A neighbor heard Heiman screaming for help when gunmen abducted him from the safe room and put him in a vehicle during the Oct. 7 attack, his family said.
Corey Shdaimah, her son-in-law, said the beloved grandmother was known for her chicken soup recipe, which fed her large family in Ardmore, Pa., whenever they were together.
“He is an open and loving person,” said Shdaimah.
Tamar Metzger, 78, was in the front row of a bus being transported out of Gaza. Al Qahera news
Tamar Metzger
Tamar Metzger, 78, was abducted with her husband Yoram, 80, from their Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit in the October 7 terrorist attacks.
The couple texted their families that morning, at 8:50 a.m., before the abduction, informing them that their relatives had taken refuge in the safe room of their home.
Tamar works as an educator and in a shop on the kibbutz, with her husband having spent decades at the Nirlat painting factory, according to The Times of Israel.
Although Tamar was released, Yoram remained in Gaza and suffered from diabetes and pain from a broken hip.
Noralin Agojo, 60, was held hostage in Kibbutz Nirim after Hamas killed her husband. via REUTERS
Noralin Agojo
Noralin Agojo, 60, a Filipino-Israeli, was in Kibbutz Nirim on October 7 when she was kidnapped by Hamas.
Agojo had traveled with her husband, Gideon Babani, from Yehud for a holiday when the terrorist group stormed the home of a close friend where they were staying, the Times of Israel reported.
While Agojo was captured by Hamas, her husband was killed by terrorists.
Her brother, Exo, has been vocal on social media in support of his sister’s release. He describes him as someone who values friendship and his garden in Yehud.
Merav Tal was released Tuesday, more than seven weeks after he contacted his family about Hamas shooting him in his safe room. via REUTERS
Merav Tal
Merav Tal, 53, was also in Kibbutz Nir Oz when she and her husband, Yaya Yaakovi, were kidnapped by Hamas.
During the raid on the kibbutz, Tal told his family on WhatsApp that gunmen had broken into his home and shot at the safe room where he and Yaakovi were hiding, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“They are in the house,” he said in the voice recording. “They shot us in the room. They are in … Help me! Yair was injured. Call the police.”
Although Yaakovi’s condition as a hostage in Gaza remains unclear, his two sons, Or Yaakov, 16, and Yagil Yaakov, 12, were among the hostages released Monday.
Rimon Kirscht, 36, is pictured at an Egyptian facility after being released from Gaza. Al Qahera news
Rimon Kirscht
Rimon Kirscht, 36, was kidnapped with her husband, Yagev Buchshtab, 34, from Kibbutz Nirim.
His sister-in-law, Nidam Kirscht, said Rimon had called his family about Hamas gunmen who were seen walking into every house in the kibbutz and shooting.
“He kept texting us and telling us what was going on with him, and then finally he said, you know, ‘I smell fire. I heard an explosion. They’re breaking in,’ and he sent the last voicemail to his mom, and he said , ‘I love you so much. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you,'” Nidam told KCRA.
Kirscht was among three hostages caught on video by Hamas serving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 23 days in their custody.
The woman accused Netanyahu of “neglecting politics and the country” and “scratching” October 7, but the prime minister slammed the Hamas video as “brutal psychological propaganda.”
Ophelia Roitman, 77, an Argentine national, was one of two nationals released Tuesday. via REUTERS
Ophelia Roitman
Ophelia Roitman, 77, has been living in Kibbutz Nir Oz for the past 38 years after immigrating from Argentina when she was kidnapped by Hamas.
The two nationals contacted his family during the raid, texting them, “Please send help, the Palestinians are here,” before disappearing, the Times of Israel reported.
Roitman, mother of three and grandmother of nine, spent five years as principal of a Jewish school in Argentina before coming to Israel to continue her work as an educator.
Her daughter, Natalie Madmon, has appeared in several social media videos pleading for her mother’s safe return, noting that Roitman likely helped care for children while in Gaza since she worked for decades as a first- and second-grade teacher.
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