Hamas announced Tuesday it has transferred teh bodies of all hostages it could access, concluding a phase of releases under a deal brokered with Israel and international mediators. The handover marks a somber step in the ongoing aftermath of the October 7 attacks, which triggered the conflict and led to the capture of over 240 hostages. While the full accounting of remains is still underway, the completion of this transfer offers a measure of closure for families awaiting the return of loved ones.
The hostage release deal,which began November 24,saw the return of 105 hostages – 81 israelis and 24 foreign nationals – in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The agreement included a temporary ceasefire, which has since expired, and facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid into gaza. Idit, the mother of Alon, a hostage recently returned, detailed his ongoing recovery, revealing he was stitched in captivity “in an amateur way” and continues to experience pain from shrapnel. Doctors are optimistic surgery may partially restore vision in his damaged eye.
Idit credited the deal with saving her son’s life, extending thanks to Israeli security forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, US President Donald Trump, and leaders from Germany and Serbia for their roles in the negotiations. “In captivity, he could see how the Israeli people were fighting for him. He saw photos of people he never knew holding his picture – it gave him strength to survive,” she said.
In a closing message,Idit urged Israelis to maintain the unity demonstrated during the hostage crisis. “The entire nation was united behind the joy on the returns, and our job is to extend this time go beyond to daily fight that brought us to down, to stop the hatred, the victimizing, the revenge, and go on a journey of unity and rebuilding.”
