An 8-year-old soccer fan who enjoys playing video games. Young-adult siblings dancing away at a desert music festival. A 67-year-old agricultural expert and her relatives enjoying a family gathering.
These are a few of the 105 people who were released by Hamas during a temporary truce with Israel, which started on November 24 and ended early December 1.
Under the terms of the agreement, which was finalized after weeks of tense negotiations, Israel released three imprisoned Palestinians for every Israeli hostage allowed to leave Gaza. The framework saw 80 Israelis, some of whom hold dual citizenships, released from captivity. By the end of the pause in hostilities, 240 Palestinians had been freed from Israeli prisons, mainly women and minors, and many of whom had been detained but never charged.
Additionally, a number of foreign nationals — 23 Thai citizens, one Filipino and one dual Israeli-Russian citizen — were freed as part of separate negotiations outside the truce.
The temporary agreement, accompanied by an uptick in desperately needed humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave, represented the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict.
Click an image to learn more about each hostage who has returned from Gaza so far. This page will be updated as more hostages are released.
Editor’s note: Several Israeli hostages, who were previously released before the temporary truce, are not included in this story.
Select a person to learn more.
