Philissa Cramer reports for JTA.
Eight hostages returned to Israel in two separate releases on Thursday, following scenes of chaos and intimidation as the terror groups that abducted them handed them over to the Red Cross.
After 482 days in torturous captivity, 20-year-old hostage Agam Berger is forced to wave, take a goody bag, and accept a certificate as though finishing Little League season at a Hamas press conference before her release. Their inhumanity knows no bounds. pic.twitter.com/IaljGgILbM
— Samantha Ettus (@samanthaettus) January 30, 2025
Agam Berger, the last woman soldier remaining in Gaza, was released first, after Hamas forced her to walk across a stage and pose with a certificate. In Israel, she was reunited with her family and was set to be reunited with the four other women soldiers with whom she had been held until their release on Saturday.
The reunion we’ve been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/84oI7et5pn
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 30, 2025
Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehud, civilians who had been abducted by the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were released separately. They were made to walk through a dense crowd of Hamas supporters in front of the home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Khan Younis before reaching representatives of the Red Cross.
The absolutely terrifying crowd that female civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud had to walk through to reach the Red Cross
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 30, 2025
Ignore the audio which is straight up propaganda spewed by Al Jazeera “reporters” pic.twitter.com/8JaWd4TFeh
Additionally, five Thai nationals who were not part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas also returned to Israel, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with the Thai ambassador. Three Thai nationals remain hostages in Gaza, of whom two are known to be dead.
Islamic Jihad released a video of Yehud and Mozes, neighbors from Kibbutz Nir Oz, embracing before their release. According to Israeli media, Yehud’s reunion with Mozes marked the first time she had seen another Israeli since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Even with the cruelty and cynicism of the Islamic Jihad terror group this is an extremely emotional moment. Gadi Moses and Arbel Yehud meet after 482 days in captivity, moments before their release. Mozes will soon turn 81, he survived. pic.twitter.com/2evQOUn3YP
— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) January 30, 2025
Mozes, 80, was one of the oldest hostages remaining in Gaza. He had previously been seen alive in a hostage video released by Islamic Jihad in December 2023; another hostage seen on tape that day was later found dead. His partner Efrat was murdered on Oct. 7.
Yehud was abducted with her partner, Ariel Cunio, who remains a hostage in Gaza, as does his brother David, whose wife and children were released in a previous ceasefire in November 2023. Yehud’s brother Dolev was murdered on Oct. 7.
אני רואה בחומרה רבה את המראות המזעזעים במהלך שחרור חטופינו.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) January 30, 2025
זו היא הוכחה נוספת לאכזריות הבלתי-נתפשת של ארגון הטרור חמאס.
אני דורש מהמתווכות לוודא שמראות איומים כאלה לא יישנו, ולערוב לביטחון חטופינו.
מי שיעז לפגוע בחטופינו – דמו בראשו.
Condemning the chaotic scenes from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a delay in the release of the Palestinian security prisoners that Israel had committed to free in exchange for the hostages, until Hamas and mediators could assure him that hostages released in the future would be safe.
The number of hostages remaining in Gaza is now 82, of whom 23 are set for release during the current ceasefire. Another release is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
