JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas-led militants released eight hostages on Thursday after more than 15 months in captivity, including an Israeli soldier, bringing to 15 the number of captives freed since the start of a ceasefire in Gaza more than a week ago.
Agam Berger, 20, was among five young, female soldiers abducted when militants overran the Nahal Oz military base during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, killing over 60 soldiers there. The other four were released Saturday.
Also freed Thursday were a 29-year-old Israeli woman and an 80-year-old Israeli man. Five Thai nationals who were in Israel doing farm work when they were taken captive were also released.
In the ceasefire’s first phase, Israel and Hamas have agreed that 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza will be released in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The ceasefire and release of hostages has sparked both hope and fear among Israelis. Many worry that the deal could collapse before all the hostages return, or that those released will arrive in poor health. Others worry that the number of captives who have died is higher than expected.
Some 250 people were taken hostage during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Around 80 remain in Gaza, although at least a third are believed to be dead. The others were released, rescued, or their bodies were recovered.
Israel's military campaign has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters but says more than half were women or children.
Here’s a look at the hostages released so far:
Arbel Yehoud, 29
Arbel Yehoud was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. A third-generation resident of the kibbutz, she loves science and space, and her friends held a public star gazing to mark her birthday in captivity.
Her brother, Dolev Yehoud, was killed on Oct. 7.
Israel delayed the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza for two days because they accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement by not releasing Yehoud, a civilian, on Jan. 25, before the release of the female soldiers.
Mediators resolved the dispute with an agreement that Yehoud would be released Thursday, and Palestinians began returning to the north on Monday. Yehoud is also a German citizen.
Agam Berger, 20
In videos of Agam Berger's abduction, her face is covered in blood, though its unclear if it is from her own wound or those of other soldiers.
Berger is a violin player from a suburb of Tel Aviv who enlisted in the army just two months before the attack.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that it was devastating for the four other soldiers to leave Berger behind on Saturday and they even offered to stay with her. They said they plan to stay in the hospital outside Tel Aviv for the first days after she is released.
Gadi Moses, 80
Gadi Moses was one of the oldest hostages who remained in captivity in Gaza.
He was taken from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest-hit in the Hamas-led attack. The Hostages Families’ Forum, an advocacy group, described Moses as an expert agronomist who lectured on agriculture and helped maintain the kibbutz’s community vegetable garden.
Moses’ partner, Efrat, was killed during the attack. His ex-wife was taken hostage and released in a previous ceasefire in November 2023. Moses, who is also a German citizen, appeared in a video likely filmed under duress released by his captors in December 2023 in which he pleaded for his freedom.
Watchara Sriaoun, 33
In the Oct. 7 attack, militants overran the compound where agricultural workers lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz. Out of the 16 Thai workers living there, 11 were killed and five, including Watchara Sriaoun, were abducted.
They were among at least 31 Thai workers taken in the assault. In the November 2023 ceasefire, 23 were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran.
Sathian Suwannakham, 35
Sathian Suwannakham was also taken from Nir Oz. The kibbutz has continued to advocate for the release of the Thai workers by posting regularly about them on social media, in addition to the Israeli hostages.
About 30,000 Thais were working in Israel when the war started, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry, the vast majority in agriculture. About 5,000 of them lived in the southern area near the border with Gaza.
Surasak Rumnao, 32
Surasak Rumnao was abducted from the town of Yesha, located near the southern Gaza Strip.
His mother, Khammee Lamnao, said the Thai embassy in Israel called her to let her know her son would be released.
“I cannot wait to see my son,” the 53-year-old said. “I’ve been waiting for him.”
Surasak had been working in the agricultural sector in Israel for 15 months when he was taken hostage.
Pongsak Thaenna, 36
Pongsak Thaenna was also taken from the town of Yesha. Thais make up the largest group of foreigners held in Gaza.
In the early days after the Oct. 7 attack, then-Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in phone conversations to assist the Thai hostages.
Bannawat Saethao, 27
Bannawat Saethao was also abducted from the town of Yesha.
Liri Albag, 19
Liri Albag, who was among those abducted from the Nahal Oz military base, was featured in a video Hamas released in early January, filmed under duress. Her family said the video was “difficult to watch” because of Albag’s clear emotional distress. They were particularly active in the protest movement pushing for a deal with Hamas to bring the hostages home.
“Liri, if you’re hearing us, tell the others that all the families are moving heaven and earth and want their children home, and we will fight until all hostages are returned,” her father said in a statement after the video was released.
Karina Ariev, 20
Karina Ariev was also taken from Nahal Oz.
Just before she was abducted, she she sent a message to her family, saying: “If I don’t live, take care of mom and dad all their lives. Don’t give up, live,” according to Israeli media. Her family said she loves to cook, sing, dance and write poetry.
In January 2024, she was featured in a video along with Daniella Gilboa and Doron Steinbrecher, both of whom have been released.
Daniella Gilboa, 20
Also taken from Nahal Oz, Daniella Gilboa was originally named Danielle. Her parents changed it after she was taken captive, in line with a Jewish tradition that is believed to bring God’s protection.
Gilboa, from Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, played piano and studied music in high school. She dreams of being a singer, according to Israeli media.
Naama Levy, 20
The footage from Naama Levy's abduction, in which she is wearing gray sweatpants covered in blood, was shown around the world.
Levy, among those taken from Nahal Oz, is a triathlete. When she was younger, she participated in the “Hands of Peace” delegation, which brings together Americans, Israelis and Palestinians to work on coexistence.
Levy has posted on Instagram that she gained strength when she was reunited with other hostages after spending the first 50 days in captivity mostly alone.
Romi Gonen, 24
Romi Gonen was taken from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. She spoke to her family for nearly five hours as militants marauded through the festival grounds. She told them that roads clogged with abandoned cars made escape impossible and that she would seek shelter in some bushes.
Her father, Eitan Goren, said she survived in part by learning Arabic, as it was the only way to communicate with her captors. “I just enjoy being with her even in silence, touching, hugging, watching her,” he said, a week after her release. “I missed it so much.”
Emily Damari, 28
Emily Damari is a British-Israeli citizen abducted from her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She lived in a small apartment in a neighborhood for young adults, the closest part of the kibbutz to Gaza. Militants broke through the border fence of the kibbutz and ransacked the neighborhood.
The day after her release, Emily's mother, Mandy, said her daughter was “in high spirits and on the road to recovery.”
Doron Steinbrecher, 31
Doron Steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse who loves animals, and a neighbor to Damari in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Steinbrecher holds both Israeli and Romanian citizenship.
Steinbrecher was featured in a video released by Hamas in January 2024, along with two female Israeli soldiers. Her brother said the video gave them hope that she was alive but sparked concern because she looked tired, weak and gaunt.
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Associated Press writer Haruka Nega contributed from Bangkok, Thailand.
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Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press
