Who are Israeli hostages released and rescued from Gaza?

Shutterstock 19 January 2025: Emily Damari smiles broadly from the back seat of a car, which has just arrived in Israel-occupied territory - she has just been released after spending 15 months as a hostage in GazaShutterstock
Emily Damari, one of three hostages released on 19 January, arrives back in Israel

Three Israeli women hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released on the first day of a long-awaited ceasefire deal with Israel.

Fifteen months after the 7 October 2023 attacks, Israel says 91 of the 251 captives remain unaccounted for, although it believes only 57 of these are still alive.

A total of 120 hostages have now been freed from captivity, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals who were released as part of a previous deal between Israel and Hamas that saw a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.

Last updated on 23 January 2025

Emily Damari, 28, who holds dual British-Israeli nationality, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She was one of the three Israeli women who became the first of the 33 hostages due to be released by Hamas under the ceasefire deal that took effect on 19 January 2025.

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a Romanian-Israeli veterinary nurse, was in her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza when Hamas attacked. At 10:30 on 7 October, she sent a voice message to friends: "They've arrived, they have me." Doron was also freed on the first day of the new ceasefire.

The third woman to be released was Romi Gonen, 24, who was ambushed as she tried to escape from the Supernova festival.

Hostages rescued in 2024

On 27 August 2024, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) rescued Kaid Farhan Elkadi, 52, a father of 11 and grandfather of one, in a "complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip". Mr Elkadi is from a Bedouin village in the Negev desert and had been working as a security guard at Kibbutz Magen when he was abducted.

The IDF rescued Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, in a daylight raid in central Gaza on 8 June 2024. The IDF said they were freed during a "high-risk, complex mission" from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area. It happened as scores of Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the same area.

Families Forum Top: Noa Argamani, and Almog Meir Jan; Bottom: Andrei Kozlov and Shlomi ZivFamilies Forum
Israeli forces rescued these four hostages in an operation in Nuseirat in June 2024. Top: Noa Argamani, and Almog Meir Jan; Bottom: Andrei Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv

Fernando Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, were rescued during fighting in the city of Rafa, in southern Gaza, on 12 February.

Hostages freed in November 2023

Eighty-one Israeli hostages were released during a temporary truce in the last week of November 2023.

Amit Soussana, a 40-year-old lawyer who had been abducted from Kfar Aza. After her release she told the New York Times that she had been sexually assaulted by a guard during her captivity.

Mia Schem, 21, who holds dual French-Israeli nationality. She appeared in the first hostage video released by Hamas saying that she had been abducted from the Supernova festival.

Family handout Mia SchemFamily handout
Mia Schem had appeared in a Hamas video with a wounded arm

Aisha Zyadna, 16, and her brother Bilal, 18, were released, but their brother Hamza, and their father, Youssef, were killed in captivity.

Zyadna family Composite image showing Aisha Zyadna (L) and Bilal Zyadna (R), Israeli Arab Bedouins who are being held hostage in the Gaza StripZyadna family
Aisha and Bilal Zyadna were among about 240 people taken hostage by Hamas gunmen in the 7 October attack

Nili Margalit, 41, a nurse, who had been kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Shani Goren, 29, who had been taken from Nir Oz and later seen by family members in a video posted by Hamas. The granddaughter of Uruguayan nationals, she was granted citizenship following her abduction.

Ilana Gritzewsky 30, had been taken hostage from Nir Oz along with her partner, Matan Zanguaker, who remains a hostage.

Family handout Ilana Gritzewsky and Matan ZanguakerFamily handout
Ilana Gritzewsky and Matan Zanguaker were captured near the Gaza border

Raya Rotem, 54, was released on 29 November 2023, a few days after her daughter Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13. They had been kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri.

Family Handout Raya Rotem and her daughter HilaFamily Handout
Raya Rotem was kidnapped with her daughter Hila and her daughter's friend, Emily Hand

Itay Regev, 18, and his sister, Maya Regev, 21, who had been taken from the Supernova music festival.

Family handout Maya and Itay RegevFamily handout
Maya and Itay Regev had attended the Supernova festival together

Amit Shani, 16, the only member of his family taken when Hamas gunmen broke into safe room at his home in Kibbutz Be'eri.

Also taken from Be'eri was Ofir Engel, 18, an Israeli-Dutch national, who was visiting his girlfriend, Yuval, when Hamas arrived. He was abducted along with Yuval's father, Yossi Sharabi, who was later killed in captivity by an Israeli airstrike. Yossi's brother, Eli Sharabi, 55, remains in captivity.

Family handout Ofir EngelFamily handout
Ofir Engel turned 18 while in Gaza

Gali Tarshansky, 13, had also been kidnapped from Be'eri. Her brother, Lior, was killed in the attack.

Family handout Gali TarshanskyFamily handout
Gali Tarshansky was held in Gaza for 54 days

Yarden Roman-Gat, a 36-year-old German-Israeli citizen, who was abducted from Be'eri. Her husband Alon, and three-year-old Gefen managed to escape.

Maya Roman A photo of Yarden Roman-Gat, her husband Alon and three-year-old daughter Gefen, smiling as the child holds up a giraffe glove puppetMaya Roman
Yarden Roman-Gat had been taken hostage but her husband Alon and daughter Gefen managed to avoid capture

Raz Ben Ami, 57, had been captured at Kibbutz Be'eri along with her husband Ohad, who remains a captive.

Moran Stella Yanai, 40, was released on the same day in November 2023. In an interview with the BBC in April 2024, she described how she had coped with her 54-day ordeal.

Liat Atzili, 49, a dual US-Israeli citizen was also released.

Mia Leimberg, 17, her mother Gabriela, 59, and Mia's aunt Clara Marman, 63 were all released after being kidnapped from Nir Yitzhak.

Family handouts Gabriela Leimberg, her daughter Mia and Mia's aunt Clara MarmanFamily handouts
Gabriela Leimberg, her daughter Mia and Mia's aunt Clara Marman were all released on 28 November

Sapir Cohen, 29, had been kidnapped along with her partner, Sasha Troufanov (who remains a hostage), and his mother and grandmother, Lena Troufanov, 50, and Irena Tati, 73. Both older women held dual Russian-Israeli nationality, and Hamas said their release was a "tribute" to Russian President Vladimir Putin - who refused to condemn the group following the 7 October attacks - and not part of the deal with Israel.

Hamas also released another Russian-Israeli on the same grounds. Roni Krivoi, 25, was working as a sound engineer at the Supernova music festival when he was kidnapped.

Sharon Aloni Cunio, 34, and her three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly, were released, but David Cunio, Sharon's husband and father of the two girls, remains in Gaza.

The four were kidnapped from Nir Oz along with Sharon's sister, Daniele Aloni, and her six-year-old daughter Emilia. Both were also released.

Family handout Sharon Aloni Cunio with her twin daughters, Ema and YuliFamily handout
Sharon Aloni Cunio with her twin daughters, Ema and Yuli

Or Yaakov, 16, and his younger brother Yagil, who turned 13 during captivity, were freed, but their father, Yair Yaakov, was killed in the attack. Yair's partner Meirav Tal, 53, was also released.

Rimon Buchshtav Kirsht, 36, was taken hostage along with her husband Yagev. She was freed, but he died while being held hostage in Gaza.

Family handout Rimon Buchshtab KirshtFamily handout
Rimon Buchshtab Kirsht was freed on 28 November

Siblings Sahar Kalderon, 16, and Erez, 12, were released after being taken by Hamas from Nir Oz.

Karina Engel-Bart, 52, and her two daughters Mika Engel, 18, and Yuval Engel, 11, were released.

Watch: Eitan Yahalomi hugs his mum as they are reunited

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was freed but his father, Ohad, who was shot and injured as he tried to defend their family home in Nir Oz, is believed to be a hostage.

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Family handout Emily HandFamily handout
Emily Hand turned nine while being held hostage in Gaza

Emily Hand, 9, was released after being held in Gaza without any of her family. The Irish-Israeli girl, who went missing from Be'eri, turned nine while she was a hostage.

Doron Katz Asher, 34, and her two daughters Raz, four, and Aviv, two, were released after being taken captive near the Gaza border.

Israel Defense Forces Yoni Asher embraces his wife Doron and their daughter Raz, four, and Aviv, twoIsrael Defense Forces
Yoni Asher embraces his wife Doron and their daughter Raz, four, and Aviv, two, after their release

Hagar Brodutch, 40, was released along with her children Oria, 4, Yuval, 8, and Offri,10. All four had been abducted from their home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Reuters Avichai Brodutch with his wife Hagar and their children Yuval, Offri and OriaReuters
Hagar Brodutch (centre) and her children Yuval, Offri and Oria, were reunited after their ordeal with her husband Avihai

Also released with the Brodutch family was four-year-old Israeli-American Avigail Idan, whose parents had been attacked and killed.

Family Handout Avigail Idan, 4Family Handout
Avigail Idan turned four while she was a hostage

Ohad Munder-Zichri, 9, his mother, Keren Munder, 54, and his grandmother Ruthi Munder, 78, were kidnapped from Nir Oz. Ohad's ninth birthday took place while he was in Gaza. Another family member, Avraham Munder, was killed in captivity.

Israel Defense Forces Ruthi Munder holding hands with an IDF soldier, walking down a tunnel after her releaseIsrael Defense Forces
Ruthi Munder was released on 24 November

Noam Or, 17, and his sister Alma, 13, were released on 25 November. Their brother, Liam Or, 18, was released a few days later. They had been taken from their home in Be'eri. The body of Yonat, the children's mother, was identified among the 120 people killed at the kibbutz. In May 2024 Be'eri announced that the children's father, Dror - who was initially thought to be a hostage - had also been killed in the attack.

Hostages and Missing Families Forum Noam (left) and Alma Orr (right)Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Noam (left) and Alma Orr (right) were released in November 2023

Sisters Dafna, 15, and Ela Elyakim, 8, were released after being taken from their home in Nir Oz. They were part of a family group whose capture was livestreamed by the attackers.

Handout Maayan Zin and her daughtersHandout
Dafna and Ela Elyakim reunited with their mother, Maayan Zin

Chen Almog-Goldstein, 48, and her children Tal, 8, Gal, 11, and Agam, 17, were released. Chen's husband, Nadav, and their 20-year-old daughter, Yam, were killed during Hamas's attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

Tamar Metzger, 78, was freed but her husband Yoram was killed in Gaza. His body was later recovered by Israeli troops and brought home.

Family handout Tamar MetzgerFamily handout
Tamar Metzger is on multiple medications, her daughter-in-law said

Ditza Heiman, 84, had been abducted from the safe room of her house in Nir Oz. A former social worker, she was one of the Kibbutz's founding members. Her late husband, Zvi Shdaimah had come to the UK on the Kindertransport, the organised rescue of children from Nazi-controlled Europe.

Family handout Ditza HeimanFamily handout
Ditza Heiman is one of of Kibbutz Nir Oz's founders

Ofelia Adit Roitman, 77, is a former head teacher who had been taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas.

Family handout Ofelia Adit RoitmanFamily handout
Ofelia Adit Roitman was released on 28 November.

Ada Sagi, who turned 75 while in captivity, had been abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Family handout Ada SagiFamily handout
Ada Sagi turned 75 while being held hostage

Noralin "Nataly" Babadila - or Noralin Agojo in some reports - is 60, and had been visiting Kibbutz Nirim to celebrate the community's 70th anniversary when she was kidnapped by Hamas. Her partner, Gideon, was murdered that day.

Family handout Noralin "Nataly" BabadilaFamily handout
Noralin "Nataly" Babadila was kidnapped while visiting Kibbutz Nirim

Hanna Katzir, 77, had abducted from Nir Oz, along with her son, Elad Katzir, 47. Elad's body was recovered by Israeli forces in Khan Younis in April 2024.

Channah Peri, 79, was taken hostage along with her son Nadav Popplewell, 51. Nadav's body was recovered by Israeli forces from an underground tunnel in the Khan Younis area in August 2024.

Family handout Family handoutFamily handout
Channah Peri emigrated to Israel from South Africa in the 1960s

Dr Shoshan Haran, 67, had been kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri. She was released along with her daughter Adi Shoham, 38, and Adi's children, Nave, eight, and Yahel, three. Dr Haran's husband, Avshalom - an economist and dual German-Israeli citizen - was killed in the Hamas attack, while Adi's husband, Tal Shoham, 38, remains in captivity.

Also released were Sharon Avigdori, 52, a drama therapist, and her daughter Noam, 12, who are relatives of Dr Haran and were kidnapped from Be'eri at the same time.

Yafa Adar, 85, had been kidnapped from Nir Oz. Her grandson Tamir, 38, was killed while defending the kibbutz as part of its emergency squad.

Family handout Yafa AdarFamily handout
Yafa Adar is a mother of three, a grandmother of eight and a great-grandmother of seven

Shiri Weiss, 53 and her daughter Noga, 18, had been taken from Be'eri. Shiri is an accountant for the kibbutz's agricultural association. Her husband (and Noga's father), Ilan, was killed during the attack.

Adrienne Aviva Seigel, 62, had been taken from her home in Kfar Aza along with her 64-year-old husband Keith, who is still among the hostages.

Margalit Mozes, 78, had been abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Israel Defense Forces Margalit Mozes being supported by an Israeli soldier after her releaseIsrael Defense Forces
Margalit Mozes was released on 24 November

Adina Moshe, 72, had been kidnapped from Nir Oz. Her husband Said Moshe was killed in the attack.

Family handout Adina MosheFamily handout
Adina Moshe was seen in a video clip after her kidnap

After her release, Elma Avraham, 84, was airlifted to Soroka hospital in Beersheba in a serious condition. She had lived at Kibbutz Nahal Oz for nearly 50 years before she was kidnapped, a spokesman for the community said.

What we know about Israel-Hamas hostage deal

Hostages previously freed

Reuters 3 panel image showing Yocheved Lifshitz, Judith Tai Raanan with Natalie Shoshana Raanan, Nurit CooperReuters

Prior to the deal struck between Israel and Hamas, four hostages were released, and another was rescued by Israeli forces:

Foreign nationals

Twenty foreign workers were released during the temporary truce of November 2023. Nineteen of these were from Thailand.

Boonthom Pankhong, 39, and his girlfriend, Natthawaree Mulakan, were released by Hamas on 24 November. Boonthom's sister Urai Chantachart told BBC Thai that the family was "overjoyed" at the news.

It was initially feared Wichai Kalapat was among the Thai nationals killed in the Hamas raid until his girlfriend received word that he was being held hostage in Gaza. She told the BBC she was "so happy" because she did not think he would be among those who were released.

Seven other hostages were also released on the same day. Their names are Uthai Thunsri, Buddee Saengboon, Bancha Kongmanee, Withoon Phumee, Mongkhol Phajuabboon, Santi Boonphrom, and Uthai Sangnuan.

Natthaphon Onkaew, Khomkrit Chombua were among the four Thai nationals released on 25 November, according to the country's prime minister, Srettha Thavisin.

Anucha Angkaew was also freed. His wife, Wanida Maarsa, told BBC Thai that her husband, who had been working on an avocado farm for almost two years, was one of those taken captive by Hamas militants.

The fourth person released was Manee Jirachat, who travelled to Israel for work four years ago. He was seized by Hamas along with five other workers who had taken cover together, according to a Thai TV interview with his father, who had spoken to survivors.

It was announced on 26 November that Wichian Temthong, Surin Kesungnoen and Phonsawan Pinakalo had been freed.

Two more Thai hostages were released on Tuesday 28 November - O-wat Suriyasri and Pattanayuth Tonsokri - and four were released the next day. Their names are Piboon Rattanil, Kong Saelao, Jakrapan Sikena and Chalermchai Sangkaew.

Gelienor "Jimmy" Leano Pacheco, 33, from the Philippines, was also released as part of the same deal. The father of three had been working in Israel as a caregiver to 80-year-old Amita Ben Zvi, who was killed in the attack on Nir Oz.