As the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas is set to release six hostages on Saturday, the families of those held captive are holding onto hope. Among them are four men who have been held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and two others who have been detained for nearly a dozen years. Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, 19 Israeli hostages or dual nationals have been freed, in addition to five Thai hostages who were released outside of the agreement.
In total, the first phase of the pact is expected to see 33 hostages released by early March, with eight of them announced as deceased, in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinians detained by Israel. Furthermore, four hostage bodies are slated to be repatriated on Thursday, in addition to the six releases planned for Saturday.
So, who are the six men set to be released on Saturday? Here’s what we know about them.
Omer Wenkert, 23 years old
Omer Wenkert, a 23-year-old Israeli-Argentine, was attending the Nova Music Festival with his friend Kim Damati, who tragically died during the assault, when Hamas launched its attack. A resident of Gedera in central Israel, Omer worked in a restaurant and was known for his “contagious energy” among friends, according to the Hostage Families Forum. He suffers from a chronic disease and had sent a chilling message to his mother, Niva, before being kidnapped: “I am dead scared.”
Tal Shham, 40 years old
Tal Shham, who holds both Israeli and Austrian nationality, turned 40 at the end of January. He was kidnapped along with his wife, Adina Shham, 38, and their children, Yahel (3 years) and Naveh (8), from their home in Maale Tzviya, a town in Galilee. Tal is a software developer and volunteer lifeguard. His family, including his mother-in-law, Shoshan Haran, 67, and her sister, Sharon Avigdori, 52, and daughter, Noam, 12, were also taken but were released at the end of November 2023 during the first truce, along with Adina and the children.
Omer Shem Tov, 22 years old
Omer Shem Tov, a 22-year-old computer scientist with acting aspirations, was at the Nova Music Festival when he was taken. He had maintained regular contact with his parents but seemed increasingly afraid with each call, according to his father, Malki Shem Tov. However, contact ceased when he was taken to Gaza. Omer is asthmatic and lived in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, before being captured.
Eliya Cohen, 27 years old
Eliya Cohen, a 27-year-old native of Tzur Hassah near Jerusalem, was at the Nova Music Festival with his fiancée, Ziv Abud, who survived the attack. A real estate agent, Eliya was kidnapped along with three other young people, including Alon Ohel, 24, who remains in captivity.
Hisham Al Sayed, 37 years old
Hisham Al Sayed, 37, has been held in the Gaza Strip for almost ten years. A Bedouin Muslim with Israeli nationality, he lived in the Negev Desert in southern Israel with his family before being kidnapped. According to his parents, Hisham suffers from schizophrenia and requires daily medication. He had previously disappeared in Jordan and Egypt, only to be returned to Israel by the authorities. Hisham had also entered the Gaza Strip twice before, in 2010 and 2013, but was expelled by Hamas after they discovered his mental health condition. In June 2022, Hamas released a video showing him lying on a bed connected to a respirator.
Avera Mengistu, 38 years old
Avraham Mengistu, known as Avera, is an Israeli of Ethiopian origin who has been held in the Gaza Strip for just over ten years. Israeli authorities describe him as mentally unstable, and he was recorded by an Israeli surveillance camera climbing the barrier separating Israel from the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014, shortly after a war between Israel and Hamas ended. Avera’s family resides in Ashkelon, southern Israel.
Source: AFP