Hamas informed Israel that eight of the 26 Israeli hostages intended for release during the first phase of the ceasefire have died, according to a Middle Eastern official briefed on the matter. This marks the first time Hamas has disclosed specific figures on the status of the hostages.
A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed that these numbers aligned with Israeli intelligence assessments.
Earlier, three Israeli hostages—Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, a dual British citizen—were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian detainees, primarily women and children.
On Saturday, four female Israeli soldiers were freed in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had been serving life sentences for deadly attacks.
The initial phase of the ceasefire, set to continue until early March, includes the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations for the second phase are still ongoing.
Tensions threatened the fragile truce on Saturday when Israel blocked Palestinian civilians from returning to northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the agreement by failing to release hostage Arbel Yehoud. Hamas also accused Israel of breaching the deal. However, Qatar, a key mediator in the talks, announced on Monday that Yehoud and two other hostages would be freed before Friday. Three additional hostages are expected to be released on Saturday, with hopes in Israel that Kfir Bibas, the youngest captive in Gaza, will be among them.
Kfir, who was nearly nine months old when he was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, turned two earlier this month while in captivity. Unlike other child hostages released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023, the Bibas family—Kfir, his 5-year-old brother Ariel, and their parents Yarden and Shiri—did not emerge from Gaza. Hamas later claimed that Kfir, his mother, and brother were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The October 7 attack saw 250 people taken hostage and 1,200 killed. In response, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, resulting in over 47,000 reported deaths according to Gaza health officials.
