The war between Israel and Hamas: what do we know about the hostages released after 49 days of captivity

They are free. This Friday, for the first time since October 7, Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages it was holding captive. Evacuated across the Egyptian border, they were cared for by the Israeli army before being transferred to hospitals in Israel.

How did the operation go?

The hostages were initially handed over to the Red Cross and then taken care of by the Israeli security services and the IDF, as was the case on October 20 and 23, when Hamas freed two people each time. According to the Red Cross and Qatar, the Islamist movement also released 10 Thais and 1 Filipino, bringing the total number of hostages released to 24. The release of these other 11 hostages will not be affected by the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The operation, dubbed Operation Heaven’s Gate, took place at the Rafah checkpoint on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. In exchange for their release, Israel announced the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners, 24 women and 15 teenagers.

Once in the hands of the Israeli authorities, the hostages must be repatriated by the army by air through El Arikh Airport (Egypt), after passing through the Kerem Shalom border post.

Treatment in hospitals

They then need to be transported to two hospitals in the Tel Aviv suburbs: Wolfson and Schneider. Only the most serious cases will be referred to Soroka Medical Center, located in Beersheba, in the south of the country. The facilities are among six chosen to provide trauma care, pediatrics or even care for victims of sexual assault and are designed to house hostages quickly.

In the morning, Ziv Agmon, the adviser in charge of the case in the Prime Minister’s Office, noted that the Israeli hostages would only be reunited with their families once they arrived at one of the country’s hospitals ready to receive them.

They should be cared for out of sight, in areas where only their families and medical staff will be allowed to join them, to protect them from the media and keep them away. “Those who do not need care will return home,” Ziv Agmon said at a press center set up in Tel Aviv to oversee the liberation process.

Security service interrogations postponed

Israeli intelligence services should only interrogate released hostages in a second phase, “when they feel sufficiently prepared,” according to Eric Denese, director of the French Center for Intelligence Research (CF2R), who said these interrogations are usually carried out “correctly.” away” for memory reasons.

This first release of hostages is part of an agreement reached between Hamas and the Israeli government under Qatari auspices. It provides for the release by Hamas of 50 hostages (minors and women) at a rate of ten people per day for four days. In exchange, Israel must release three Palestinian prisoners for every hostage returned, or about 150 people. And here the agreement stipulates that these will be women and teenagers.