Hostages Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai citizens released from Gaza

Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai citizens – Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao, and Surasak Lamnau – were released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups on Thursday as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire neared the end of its second week.

Berger was released by Hamas in northern Gaza, while the other seven were released in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza by the PIJ, the second largest terrorist group in Gaza after Hamas.

During Berger’s release, Hamas forced her to stand and wave on a stage like the other hostages released in this ceasefire. 

The release of Yehoud, Mozes, and the five Thai hostages devolved into chaos as Hamas and PIJ let crowds swarm the released hostages, endangering their lives. Footage from the scene showed crowds of Palestinians pushing into the hostages and the terrorists handing them over to the Red Cross.

The scenes in Khan Younis sparked outrage across Israel.

“I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages. This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the chaos.

Netanyahu demanded that the mediators ensure that such scenes aren’t repeated in future hostage releases and that the safety of the hostages is guaranteed. “Whoever dares to harm our captives — his blood will be on his head,” the prime minister warned.

In response to the chaos, Israel delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners by several hours.

Hostages reunite with their families after 482 days in captivity

All eight hostages arrived safely in Israel. Footage showed their emotional first embrace with their loved ones after 482 days in captivity.

On the helicopter to the hospital, Berger held a sign reading “I chose the path of faith and through the path of faith I returned.”

She was reunited with the other released IDF spotters (known as tatzpitaniyot in Hebrew) from her unit, who were released on Saturday, after arriving at the hospital.

Berger’s family celebrated her release, saying, “Thank God that we got to this moment, and Agam, our hero, has returned to us after 482 days in the hands of the enemy. Our daughter is strong, faithful, and courageous. We would like to thank the security forces and the entire people of Israel for all the support and prayers. Now we and Agam can begin the rehabilitation process, but the rehabilitation will not be complete until all the hostages return home.”

Initial testimonies about the horrific treatment of the hostages during their time in captivity were published by Israel’s national broadcaster KAN Thursday evening.

According to the report, Yehoud had been held hostage on her own since Oct. 7 and had not seen another Israeli until she was brought together with Mozes ahead of their release. Yehoud was informed while in captivity that her brother, Dolev, had been murdered on Oct. 7.

Yehoud’s boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, is still held hostage by Hamas.

After arriving in Israel, doctors found that Yehoud was suffering from malnutrition since she had received very little food from her captors. Yehoud said that the way she was treated by the terrorists as she was handed over to the Red Cross on Thursday was “only a tenth of their evil.”

“Our Arbel has been returned. However, our mission is not yet complete,” Yehoud’s family said Thursday. “Ariel, Arbel’s partner, is still being held captive in Gaza. So is his brother David, his good friend Sasha, the rest of Nir Oz’s hostages, and all the loved ones. We will not relent until all the hostages are released. We urge everyone not to allow the door that has been opened to close. We must bring everyone home immediately, so that we can rebuild as a society.”

Yehoud’s family asked that the public give her peace and quiet and to respect her privacy and that of the family.

Mozes said that what kept him going throughout his time in captivity was the knowledge that he would rebuild his kibbutz, Nir Oz. He added that he believed throughout his time in captivity that he would be released and that he did not break at any point.

After his release, Mozes stressed that he would do everything he could in order to rehabilitate Nir Oz. The Gaza border community was one of the hardest hit on Oct. 7. Thirty six residents were murdered and another 72 were kidnapped. Twenty seven residents are still in captivity.

Mozes told his family that he heard his ex-wife’s voice on the radio while he was in captivity. His ex-wife, Margalit, was also kidnapped on Oct. 7 and was released in the first ceasefire deal in Nov. 2023.

Thailand welcomes release of Thai citizens

Thailand’s Ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, welcomed the release of the five Thai citizens, saying “I have been waiting for this day for so long, and as you know, I could barely breathe today. That’s what made me keep watching TV. It’s not just me, it’s the citizens of Thailand, the entire government and everyone is looking forward to receiving the five hostages.”

Sriaoun’s mother told Reuters after his release, “This is what we prayed for every day. In the end, there was no warning, nothing prepared us for the release. Two or three days ago, there was no sign. Then we talked to a churchman, and he said, ‘It won’t be long before we hear good news.'”

Two Thai citizens who are believed to be dead are still being held in Gaza.

110 Palestinian security prisoners released, including terrorists responsible for dozens of murders

110 Palestinian security prisoners were released by Israel on Thursday as well.

The release included several terrorist leaders, such as Zakaria Zubeidi, considered one of the main leaders of terrorist activity in the West Bank before his arrest in 2019, and Muhammad Abu Warda, a terrorist responsible for the murder of 45 Israelis in suicide bombing attacks he organized.

Former defense minister: ‘We may be forced to accept the return of Hamas’

During a speech at Reichman University on Wednesday, former defense minister Yoav Gallant referenced the stages Hamas set up for the hostage releases, stressing that “The images coming from Gaza in recent weeks, in which we see Hamas in control, are images that could have been prevented.” 

Gallant argued that because the government had refused his proposal to work on finding an alternative government for Gaza before the war was over, the war was now ending with Hamas still in power.

“Plowing the ground a hundred times without planting a seedling doesn’t allow anything to grow. Similarly, the fact that you fight, kill terrorists, and destroy Hamas’ infrastructure doesn’t lead to an alternative government,” Gallant said. “We may be forced to accept the return of Hamas as a result of the fact that we did not prepare the alternative I spoke about, which included a complete process.”

The former defense minister said that he had proposed that several states join together to form an administrative board and to form a security force out of foreign troops, private companies, and Palestinian forces outside of Hamas. Gallant noted that the government agreed to a similar outline to handle the Rafah Crossing in the new ceasefire agreement.

The former defense minister added that he had discussed the plan with world leaders, including Arab leaders, and had secured agreements in principle, but that the government had refused to develop these plans.

“The one who attacked the idea of ​​creating an alternative to the Hamas regime is directly responsible for the intolerable images we are seeing now. The lack of preparation to replace Hamas endangers meeting the goals of the war, and the reason is clear and simple. The goal is to replace the Hamas regime and you can’t do that if you don’t present the alternative,” Gallant stressed.

What comes next?

The next hostage release is set to take place on Saturday, when another three hostages will be released.

After their release, the remaining 22 hostages will be released every seven days, three at a time, until the last week of the deal, when the last 14 hostages of this phase will be released.

Negotiations for the second phase of the deal are set to begin this coming Monday. Netanyahu will be visiting Washington, D.C. a day after the talks begin to meet with U.S President Donald Trump.

Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited Israel on Wednesday and Thursday, and met with Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. Witkoff spent much of the visit pressing Israeli officials to ensure the ceasefire would continue to the second phase and the end of the war.