Six elderly people, three mothers and their four children. Here’s what we know about the 13 hostages released by Hamas on Friday under a deal with Israel, according to reports from their relatives to AFP and in the Israeli press and the Hostage Families Forum.
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These releases bring the total number of hostages released to 29, from about 240 brought into Gaza during the October 7 attack.
Ten Thai hostages and one Filipino hostage, who are not covered by the agreement between Israel and Hamas, were also released this Friday, according to Qatar, while five hostages were released in October.
Ruth Munder, her daughter Keren and her grandson
Keren Munder, 54, and her young son were visiting her grandparents Ruth and Abraham Munder, 78, at Kibbutz Nir Oz when the community was attacked by Hamas. Everyone was taken hostage.
The child celebrated his 9th birthday in captivity.
Abraham Munder is still hostage. Keren’s brother Roee Munder, 50, was killed in the attack.
Keren Munder, who lives in Kfar Saba north of Tel Aviv, is a special education teacher and children’s volleyball coach. She works in a school in Bnei Brak, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. She plays volleyball as an amateur.
Doron Asher Katz and his two daughters
The two- and four-year-old girls and their German-Israeli mother, Doron Asher Katz, 34, were also abducted from Nir Oz, where they were visiting their maternal grandmother, Efrat Katz, 69, who was murdered by Hamas.
Doron’s husband Yoni Asher, who was left alone in his home north of Tel Aviv that day, recognized his wife and daughters in a video posted by the Islamist movement on social networks.
Doron’s brother Ravid Katz and her mother’s partner, Gadi Moses, are still being held hostage.
The latter, a 79-year-old farmer, tried to negotiate with Hamas to save his family members. Eventually he too was taken hostage.
Margaret Moses
Gadi Moses’ ex-wife, Margalit Moses, 77, is suffering from cancer, which her relatives say requires daily medical care.
She appeared in a Hamas video showing her capture in Nir Oz. She is also German-Israeli.
Adina Moshe
The video of the abduction of this 72-year-old woman in Nir Oz was broadcast by Hamas on social networks. There, Adina Moshe appeared between two fighters on a motorcycle. According to her grandson, who was interviewed by CNN, to avoid falling off the motorcycle, the septuagenarian had to hold on to the man who had shot her husband a few minutes earlier.
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According to her family, she needs medication after undergoing heart surgery last year.
Danielle Aloni and her daughter
The 44-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter were kidnapped in Nir Oz while hiding in the Mamad (safe room) of Danielle’s sister Sharon Aloni Cunio’s home. To drive them away, Hamas gunmen set the house on fire.
Her family is the one with the most hostages (nine). Danielle and her daughter were captured along with Sharon (34 years old), her husband David Cunio (33 years old), their three-year-old twin daughters, David’s brother Ariel (26 years old), his partner Arbel Yehoud (28 years old) and his sister Dolev Yehud (35 years old).
Danielle Aloni appeared in a video released by Hamas on October 30.
Yaffa Adar
The video of the abduction of this 85-year-old woman, who was put aboard what appeared to be a golf cart by her Hamas captors, has been shared multiple times on social media. The video, filmed by Hamas, shows the moments the octogenarian was captured in her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
In early November, her granddaughter Adva Adar became concerned about the health of her grandmother, who was suffering from heart and kidney failure and high blood pressure.
Tamir Adar, 38, Yaffa’s grandson and father of two children aged three and seven, was also taken hostage with her.
Hanna Katzir
Hanna Katzir, a 76-year-old former educator, mother of three and grandmother of six, was also kidnapped in Nir Oz.
On November 9, the septuagenarian appeared in a video by Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally, which then announced her death. This has not been confirmed by Israel.
According to her family, she uses a walker and requires medication.
Her husband Rami was murdered by Hamas.
His son Elad, 47, was also taken hostage.
Hanna Peri
South African citizen Hanna Peri, 79, was on the phone with her daughter when Hamas men broke into her home in Kibbutz Nirim.
Her daughter then tried to warn her brother Nadav Popplewell (51) to get to safety. Vain. Shortly afterwards, a photo sent from Hanna’s phone confirmed that she had been taken hostage along with Nadav.
His other son, Roy, was killed in the attack.
Hanna Peri suffers from diabetes and has very poor vision in one eye.