Hostage list raises hopes Israeli family still alive, PM denies reports

List of hostages purportedly provided by Hamas to Israel raises hopes that the Bibas family may still be alive in captivity – but Israel’s prime minister downplays reports, saying list was drawn up by Israel months ago.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

A list of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip published by media outlets Monday has raised hopes among the families of captives that their loved ones may still be alive and up for release in the first phase of a possible ceasefire, while Israel’s prime minister dismissed the document Monday.

On Sunday, a senior Hamas official told Reuters that the terror group had submitted a list of 34 hostages who may be freed during the first phase of a ceasefire with Israel.

A day later, media outlets including the BBC and Saudi Arabia’s al-Sharq published the list, which included the names of 10 women, 11 elderly men, two children, and 11 men under 50.

The full list included the following names:Romi Gonen (24); Emily Damari (28); Arbel Yehoud (29); Doron Steinbrecher (31); Ariel Bibas (5); Kfir Bibas (1); Shiri Silberman Bibas (33); Liri Albag (19); Karina Ariev (20); Agam Berger (20); Daniel Gilboa (20); Naama Levy (20); Ohad Ben-Ami (55); Gad Moshe Moses (80); Keith Shmuel Siegel (65); Offer Kaldaron (53); Eliyahu Sharabi (52); Itzhak Elgaret (69); Shlomo Mansur (86); Ohad Yahalomi (50); Yousef Yousef Alziadna (54); Oded Lifshitz (84); Tsachi Idan (50); Hisham al-Sayed (36); Yarden Bibas (35); Sagi Dekel Chen (36); Iair Horn (46); Omer Wenkert (23); Alexandre Troufanov (28); Eliya Cohen (27); Or Levy (34); Avera Mengistu (38); Tal Shoham (39); Omer Shem Tov (21).

The list included the names of captives Hamas claimed had died in captivity, including members of the Bibas family, three of whom were allegedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023.

In the past, however, Hamas has falsely claimed captives were killed by Israeli airstrikes, with the claim later being disproven.

The inclusion of all four members of the Bibas family, including the father, Yarden, mother, Shiri, and sons Ariel and Kfir, has rekindled hopes Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were not, in fact, killed in November 2023.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the list, saying Monday that the document was in fact a list drafted by Israel and given to hostage deal brokers in July 2024.

“The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024,” Netanyahu said.

“As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list. Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages.”

An Israeli source cited by Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan, Monday morning said that “contrary to denials by the Prime Minister’s Office, Hamas has submitted a list of hostages to be released, but has not disclosed if any of them are alive.”

There are no indications from the list published Monday whether the captives are alive.

Hamas has reportedly sought to include dead hostages in the list of 34 captives to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire.

Benjamin NetanyahuBibas FamilyHamasIsraeli captives in Gaza