5:54 p.m. ET, November 30, 2023
Today’s second group of freed hostages are in Israel, the Israeli military says
Top row: Sapir Cohen, Shani Goren and Nili Margalit. Bottom row: Ilana Gritzewsky, Bilal Alziadna and Aisha Alziadna
Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Regional Council for the Unknown Villages in the Negev/Reuters
The six additional hostages released by Hamas on Thursday have arrived in Israel and will head to Hatzerim Airbase, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Israeli soldiers will escort the freed hostages to hospitals, where they will reunite with their families, the military said, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Three different medical centers will care for the hostages: two in the Tel Aviv area and one in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel, according to health officials.
Live visuals showed a convoy of Red Cross vans entering the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt en route to Israel late Thursday night.
Identity of hostages: The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum in Israel released the names of the hostages — some of whom hold dual citizenship.
Their identities are as follows:
- Sapir Cohen, adult
- Shani Goren, adult
- Nili Margalit, adult
- Ilana Gritzewsky, adult
- Bilal Alziadana, adult
- Aisha Alziadana, child
Among the complete group of hostages released Thursday, those with dual nationalities include a Mexican, a Russian and an Uruguayan, according to Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Dr. Majed Al-Ansari.
This post has been updated with more details about the released hostages.
