10 Israelis, 2 Thais Freed in 5th Hostage Release
Ten Israeli and two Thai hostages were released from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening after the four-day cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas was extended for at least two more days. The Israeli government has received a list of those scheduled to be released tonight.
The Israelis released on Tuesday evening comprised nine women and one teenage girl. They were handed over to the Red Cross and brought into Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing, from where they were taken to hospitals to receive care and be reunited with their families.
Under the initial cease-fire agreement, which took effect last Friday, 50 Israeli women and children taken captive by Hamas in its murderous rampage in Israel on Oct. 7 were released in four groups, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, all women or minors convicted or accused of various offenses. A Russian-Israeli man and 18 foreign nationals, 17 of them Thai and one Filipino, were also released in separate deals.
Israel agreed to extend the cease-fire with Hamas by 24 hours for every 10 Israeli hostages released. The group released on Tuesday evening was the first to be released under the extension and the fifth group released all together. In total, 61 Israelis and 20 foreign nationals have now been released, and about 150 hostages are still being held by Hamas, including a number of children. Notable among those still being held hostage are Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 10 months.
The Israelis released on Tuesday evening are:
Rimon Kirsht Buchshtav, 36, of Kibbutz Nirim, a volunteer at Maslan, The Negev’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Support Center. Her husband, Yagev, was also abducted on Oct. 7 and remains a Hamas captive.
Gabriela Leimberg, 59, of Jerusalem, a manager at the SHEKEL organization that provides community services for people with disabilities, who also runs a day center for people with autism.
Mia Leimberg, 17, Gabriela’s daughter, a 12th-grade student at a Jerusalem arts high school who works at a bookshop. She was taken captive with the family Shih Tzu dog, Bella, and was seen being released with the pooch in her arms.
Clara Merman, 63, of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, Gabriela Leimberg’s sister, a mother of two and grandmother of three who is a retired kindergarten teacher who continues to work with the elderly and guide at-risk families. She was kidnapped with her partner, Luis, and her brother Fernando, both of whom are still hostages in Gaza.
Ofelia Roitman, 77, of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a mother of three and grandmother of nine who was a teacher for 20 years and a principal at Jewish schools in Argentina for five years.
Ditza Heiman, 84, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a widowed mother of four, grandmother of 20 and great-grandmother of five, who lived alone with her cat.
Tamar Metzger, 78, also of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a full-time grandmother with limited mobility who used to work at the kibbutz nursery and also used to run the general store. She was kidnapped with her husband, Yoram, who remains in Hamas captivity.
Noralin “Nataly” Babadilla, 60, of Yahud-Monoson in central Israel but originally from the Philippines, who with her partner, Gideon Babani, was visiting friends at Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7. Babani was murdered that day.
Ada Sagi, 75, of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a mother of three and grandmother of six who teaches Hebrew and Arabic. Her 75th birthday, on Oct. 20, was spent in Hamas captivity.
Meirav Tal, 53, of Rishon Lezion in central Israel, who was visiting her partner, Yair Yaakov, in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. The two were kidnapped along with Yair’s sons, Yagil and Or, who were released on Monday. Yair remains in Hamas captivity.
