Editor’s note: The release of hostages held in Gaza is a developing story. At press time, the number of hostages remaining in Gaza is 79, of whom 23 are set for release during the current ceasefire; 35 are thought to be living. These three articles are just a sample of the stories and events taking place surrounding the hostages’ release.
8 hostages, including 5 Thai nationals, return to Israel following chaotic scenes in Gaza
Philissa Cramer
(JTA) — Eight hostages returned to Israel in two separate releases on Thursday, Jan. 30, following scenes of chaos and intimidation as the terror groups that abducted them handed them over to the Red Cross.
Agam Berger, the last woman soldier remaining in Gaza, was released first, after Hamas forced her to walk across a stage and pose with a certificate. In Israel, she was reunited with her family and was set to be reunited with the four other women soldiers with whom she had been held until their release on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehud, civilians who had been abducted by the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were released separately. They were made to walk through a dense crowd of Hamas supporters in front of the home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Khan Younis before reaching representatives of the Red Cross.
Additionally, five Thai nationals who were not part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas also returned to Israel, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with the Thai ambassador. Three Thai nationals remain hostages in Gaza, of whom two are known to be dead.
Islamic Jihad released a video of Yehud and Mozes, neighbors from Kibbutz Nir Oz, embracing before their release. According to Israeli media, Yehud’s reunion with Mozes marked the first time she had seen another Israeli since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Mozes, 80, was one of the oldest hostages remaining in Gaza. He had previously been seen alive in a hostage video released by Islamic Jihad in December 2023; another hostage seen on tape that day was later found dead. His partner Efrat was murdered on Oct. 7.
Yehud was abducted with her partner, Ariel Cunio, who remains a hostage in Gaza, as does his brother David, whose wife and children were released in a previous ceasefire in November 2023. Yehud’s brother Dolev was murdered on Oct. 7.
Condemning the chaotic scenes from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a delay in the release of the Palestinian security prisoners that Israel had committed to free in exchange for the hostages, until Hamas and mediators could assure him that hostages released in the future would be safe.
In Gadi Mozes, the octogenarian freed from Gaza, Israelis see an icon of their country’s hardy ‘kibbutznik’ spirit
Ben Sales
(JTA) —The chaotic hostage release on Thursday, Jan. 30, which saw a crush of fighters push two captives through a restless crowd, shocked viewers and sparked a crisis in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
It also left Israelis with at least one lasting image: Hostage Gadi Mozes, 80, walking upright among the masked gunmen, with what appeared to be the faintest of smiles on his face.
To many Israelis, the photo symbolized not only the resilience of an elderly hostage after almost 16 months of captivity; it was also a testament to the particular Israeli way of life Mozes embodies.
Several of the posts emphasized that Mozes is a kibbutznik — a resident of the border community of Nir Oz who, before Oct. 7, 2023, was known for his potato farming. But to Israelis, the word “kibbutznik,” especially when applied to an octogenarian, connotes more than just an address.
While Israel’s kibbutz movement has declined over the past 40 years, in the early days of the country — Mozes’ youth — the kibbutz symbolized a pioneering ethos, a hardy work ethic and a communitarian spirit. In past decades, kibbutzniks comprised a disproportionate share of Israel’s military and political leadership.
To some of those who shared the photo of Mozes, that’s the message that came through.
“He’s the salt of the earth, a classic kibbutznik,” one Israeli posted on X.
“Wow Gadi Mozes, 80-year-old kibbutznik, made of humanity’s toughest stuff,” Ram Shefa, a former Israeli lawmaker, posted on Facebook above the photo. “Welcome back to the community of Nir Oz and Israel.”
“We have Gadi Mozes, an 80-year-old alpha male, a strong kibbutznik,” wrote another Israeli on Facebook. “Survived for a year and a half and returned a hero.”
The photo is the latest instance, during this ceasefire, of Israelis turning an image of the hostages’ suffering into a symbol of national pride. First, Mia Schem’s post-release tattoo “We will dance again” became a mantra for survivors of the Nova music festival massacre. Most recently, Emily Damari’s hand — with fingers blown off — was transformed into the “rock on” symbol and was quickly adapted into a variety of graphics. More recently, Jews around the world paid homage to Agam Berger, another hostage released Jan. 30, who braided her fellow captives’ hair ahead of their release.
Mozes’ story had already spread across Israel before his release — how he attempted to negotiate with terrorists to spare his family, and how his longtime partner, Efrat Katz, was killed on Oct. 7. Her daughter and two grandchildren were also taken hostage and released in the November 2023 ceasefire, as was Mozes’ ex-wife.
The Israeli government released footage of Mozes reuniting with his three children, where his smile was replaced by tears as he hugged and kissed them and, according to local reports, learned for the first time that Katz had died on Oct. 7.
But first, the kibbutzik persona shone through. One of the videos shows him sitting on a couch, moments before seeing his children, and saying in a hoarse voice, “I will do everything I can to rehabilitate Nir Oz.”
Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon released from Gaza in smooth handovers
JTA staff
(JTA) — The oldest living American-Israeli hostage exited Gaza, one of three Israelis Hamas released on Saturday, Feb. 1 in accordance with the terms of a ceasefire deal.
Keith Siegel, 65, was released after a seaside ceremony in Gaza City where he briefly walked across a stage and waved, a performance that Hamas has required of the hostages it has recently freed. He was wearing a hat and walked on his own, though he appeared to be supported by two Hamas terrorists as he mounted the stage and descended from it.
Viewing her husband via video for the first time since November 2023, when she was released during a previous ceasefire, Aviva Siegel exclaimed, “Here he is! He looks good!” on a video distributed by the Israeli government. She was accompanied by the couple’s son Shai, whose survival when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was unclear to her and her husband while she was a hostage.
Subsequent footage showed Keith Siegel, who moved to Israel as a young adult from his native North Carolina, flashing a thumbs-up sign after being turned over to Israeli troops and embracing his family in the hospital.
Siegel was released shortly after two other hostages, Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon.
Bibas, 35, is the father of the only children who remain in Gaza. He appeared in a hostage video in November 2023 that showed him responding to being told that his wife, Shiri, and sons Ariel and Kfir, had been killed. Israel has never confirmed Hamas’ allegation that the mother and young children were dead but has said there are “grave concerns” about them and did not insist on their release prior to that of living men.
In a video that Israel released, Bibas embraced his parents upon their reunion.
Kalderon, 54, was abducted with two of his children from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Sahar, 17, and Erez, 12, were released during the November 2023 ceasefire after 52 days in captivity. Israel released a video showing Kalderon, who greeted friends outside the hospital where he was taken, embracing all four of his children.
In a change, the handover process on Feb. 1 went smoothly and contained little of the unruly crowds that had characterized other recent hostage releases.
Groups of hostages have been released periodically since the current ceasefire began on Jan. 19. Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American, is on the list to be released during the current ceasefire, while the other American, Edan Alexander, would be released only if the ceasefire is extended.