Posted on 01/29/25
| News Source: JPost
The three hostages due to be released on Thursday are Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses, according to an announcement on Wednesday.
The releases are expected to occur in the late morning or early afternoon hours, according to sources who spoke to The Jerusalem Post.
This follows earlier reports that Israel has received the list of the three Israeli hostages in Gaza set to be released on Thursday, and that the list met with the expectations of Israeli authorities.
According to information presented to mediators of the deal, five Thai citizens are also expected to be released by Hamas. This number is independent of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The release of three hostages in a previously unscheduled hostage transfer on Thursday was announced on Sunday after 48 hours of intense negotiations.
The Hostage Families Forum welcomed the good news "of the expected release of Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses after 482 days in Hamas captivity," in a statement released on Wednesday.
"An entire people is fighting for them and eagerly awaits their long-awaited return to the arms of their families.We have the sacred duty and moral right to return all our brothers and sisters home. We will not give up and will not stop at any stage until all the abductees return home within the framework of the current agreement - the living for rehabilitation and the dead for a proper burial in their country," Hostage Families Forum continued.
German-Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud was 28 when she was abducted by terrorists from Nir Oz - where three generations of her family called home. She appeared in a video by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which was seemingly taken on Saturday, January 25, the day that four other female hostages were released.
Agam Berger, an IDF observation soldier was kidnapped from Nahal Oz on October 7. She is alleged to have been the hostage who braided the hair of the four IDF soldiers released on Saturday.
Gadi Moses was taken captive from outside his home on October 7 when Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he lived, was invaded by Hamas terrorists. Moses marked his 80th birthday in Hamas captivity in Gaza in March.
Gadi’s ex-wife Margalit Moses was also kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and released on November 24 after 49 days. His partner, Efrat Katz, was killed by Hamas, whilst her daughter and two grandchildren were taken and subsequently released as part of the first hostage deal.
Gadi Moses' niece, Efrat Machikava, stated, "We are waiting for him, with severe longing. We hope that his mental and physical strength is in good condition," according to KAN.
The decision to release Thai hostages came amid a meeting between Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch and a senior Thai government official on Saturday, according to N12.
Additional hostages are also scheduled to be released on Saturday.