Hamas tunnels found underneath Rafah. (Twitter Screenshot)
The list of 17 includes five older men, nine men under 50, a mother, and two children.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
As Hamas threatens cessation of the release of Israeli captives and Israel issues an ultimatum to restart the war if they are not freed, there are still 17 hostages slated for release in Phase One of the agreement.
A total of 33 hostages were meant to be released in Phase One of the hostage deal, and 16 have already returned home, leaving 76 captives remaining in Gaza.
Those scheduled for release in the first phase of the deal are in the “humanitarian” category, including women, children, the elderly, and ill hostages.
Of the 33, eight are reported to have died, with no indication of their identities.
The emaciated appearance of Ohad Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eli Sharabi, who were released last Saturday, has led many to call for the urgent release of all the hostages.
US President Donald Trump declared that if all hostages are not released by Saturday, “all hell would break loose.”
Following Trump’s announcement, Netanyahu stated that the war would resume if the hostages are not freed by the Saturday deadline.
The 17 hostages slated for release at the end of Phase One are: Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur, Ohad Yahalom, Oded Lifshitz, Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov, Eliza Cohen, Aver Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas, and Kfir Bibas.
On Tuesday, Shlomo Mantzur, 86, was reported to have been killed in captivity.
The list of 17 includes five older men, nine men under 50, and a mother and her two children.
The Bibas mother and children were supposed to have been released earlier in the hostage release deal; the father, Yarden Bibas, has already been freed.
Israel has asked Hamas for clarification on the status of the Bibas family, but the terror group has not provided information. The IDF spokesman expressed “grave concern” about their fate.
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