The faces of the freed: Hamas releases 24 hostages including four children after two months in 'bowels of hell'

24 November 2023, 15:00 | Updated: 24 November 2023, 22:00

The identities of the Israeli hostages released by Hamas have been revealed as both sides also agreed to a four day pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Thirteen of the hostages released are from Israel, with the remainder made up of ten Thais and one Filipino.

Of the Israeli hostages, four are children, and the remaining nine are women. Three of the women are mothers to the released children, and five of the rest are elderly. Some have serious health conditions.

The youngest of the hostages released is a two-year-old girl, and the oldest is an 85-year-old woman.

The freed hostages, who only make up about a tenth of the 240 people in captivity, have been handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas and are now in Israel. Eight of them - four adults and the four children - have been taken to hospital for a check-up.

The moment Israeli hostages returned to Israel

Israel has released 39 Palestinian prisoners into the West Bank in exchange. Meanwhile 137 trucks of aid have entered Gaza on Friday, the largest amount of humanitarian aid since the start of the war.

Footage released by the IDF shows the moment the hostages are taken back into Israel in white coaches.

Read more: 'We won't live with Hamas': Fragile four-day truce between Israel and Hamas is 'just a pause', insists Netanyahu adviser

Read more: Who are the 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas?

Hamas video of hostages being released

Their names are:

• Margalit Moses, 77
• Adina Moshe, 72
• Danielle Aloni, 45, and her daughter Emilia, 5
• Doron Katz Asher, 34, and her daughters Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2
• Hanna Katzir, 77
• Keren Munder, 54, and her son Ohad, 9
• Ruti Munder, 78
• Yaffa Adar, 85
• Channa Perri, 79

Hamas' radical ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad had earlier falsely claimed that Ms Katzir had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Ms Katz Asher, and her daughters Raz and Aviv are German-Israeli dual citizens, as well as Ms Moses.

Ms Adar hit the headlines during the hostage capture when she was filmed being taken on a golf buggy. Her dignified appearance in an alarming situation was said to have inspired people around the world.

Her granddaughter told LBC's Andrew Marr this week that she didn't know if her grandmother would be among the hostages released.

She said that Ms Adar was young in spirit, but needed medication that she wouldn't have been able to take with her into captivity.

Confirming the names of the Israeli prisoners who had been released, a spokesperson for the Israeli government said it "embraces our citizens returning home."

The spokesperson added: "The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abductees and missing persons.

"Our citizens underwent an initial medical examination and their families were informed by the appointed officials that they were back.

"In addition, 11 foreign citizens were released."

Joe Biden said that the released hostages were "the start of a process".

The US president said: "We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow.

"We are waiting now, I thought maybe as soon as by the time I got here, but in the next hour or so we will know what the second wave of releases are."

Hamas had previously released four hostages: a mother and a daughter, and two elderly women for "humanitarian reasons and poor health grounds".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We just completed the return of the first of our hostages: children, their mothers and additional women. Each of them is an entire world.

"But I emphasise to you, the families, and to you, the citizens of Israel: We are committed to returning all the hostages.

"This is one of the aims of the war and we are committed to achieving all the aims of the war."

The Red Cross said its operation to "re-unite hostages and detainees with their families" was under way on Friday evening and it would be a "multi-day" task.

"We are relieved to confirm the safe release of 24 hostages," it said on X.

"We have facilitated this release by transporting them from Gaza to the Rafah border, marking the real-life impact of our role as a neutral intermediary between the parties.

"It's a tremendous relief that after enduring weeks of distress, they can finally reunite with their families."

"The Israel Defence Forces salutes and embraces the released hostages upon their return home," Israel's military said, adding that they are now inside its territory and en route to hospital before being reunited with their families.

"The IDF, together with the entire Israeli security establishment, will continue operating until all the hostages are returned home."

Israeli spokesman: 'When it ends with an Israeli victory we must make sure it never happens again'

Eylon Levy, a spokesman for the Israeli government, told LBC's Tom Swarbrick there would be a "long process of rehabilitation and healing for kids who have literally been in the bowels of hell".

Hamas is expected to release 50 hostages in total, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the temporary truce.

That means the ground invasion is on hold, with Gaza city cut off from the south of the strip by the Israel Defence Forces.

Meanwhile, Qatar said 39 Palestinian prisoners had been released into the West Bank by Israel.

Minibuses thought to be transporting the prisoners were seen heading from Ofer prison, in the West Bank. They are thought to be 24 women and 15 teenage boys.

Some of those held were in jail for attempted stabbings, while others are behind bars for acts like throwing stones at Israeli troops.

A number were held in administrative detention, having not even had a trial. None have been convicted of murdering Israelis.

Some 137 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Friday, as the UN was able to boost supplies during the ceasefire.

The UN said: "Hundreds of thousands of people were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items."

Around 129,000 litres of fuel and four trucks of gas also made the crossing into Gaza.

Hopes that the truce will is develop into a full ceasefire are unlikely to be realised.

Israel is determined to destroy Hamas after the terror group rampaged over the Gaza border wall and massacred more than 1,000 people, kidnapping more than 200 and holding them in the strip.

Levy told LBC the goal was still to "end Hamas".

"It means destroying all of Hamas' infrastructure, all of its rockets, all of its tunnels, going after all of its commanders, all of its terrorists, so that Hamas no longer governs the Gaza Strip," he said.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he wants to "continue with the goals of the war and we will eradicate Hamas".

The terrorists' health ministry in Gaza has claimed more than 14,000 people have been killed since Israel launched Operation Iron Swords.