By Ronny Reyes | New York Post
More Hamas hostages were freed Wednesday, the final day of an extended truce agreement with Israel – with at least one American included in the latest exchange, according to reports.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas said it has handed over the sixth wave of hostages, estimated at 12, who will receive medical screenings from the Red Cross before being transferred to Israeli hospitals.
The hostages include 10 Isralies: Raz Ben Ami, 57; Yarden Roman, 36; Liat Atzili, 49; Moran Stela Yana, 40; Liam Or, 18; Itay Regev, 18; Ofir Engel, 17; Amit Shani, 16; Gali Tarshansky, 13; and Raaya Rotem, 54; The Times of Israel reports.
Atzili, a mother of three, is an Israeli-American dual citizen who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with her husband, Aviv, 49, who remains in Gaza.
Atzili, who served as a tour guide at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, in Jerusalem, was hiding in her home’s safe room when she was last heard calling a friend on Oct. 7.
Her husband, a mechanic and metalwork artist, disappeared while responding to Israel’s security response team call during the terrorist attack, according to the Times.
Atzil is the second American hostage released during the truce agreement after Hamas released 4-year-old Abigail Edan.
Once back in Israel, Rotem will be reunited with her 13-year-old daughter, Hila, who was among the group of hostages released on Saturday.
Also reuniting with family will be Regev, whose sister, Maya, was also among those freed Saturday.
Four Thai nationals and two women with Russian-Israeli citizenship, Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother Irena Tati, 73, were included in the group, I24 News reported.
The women, who were freed as a gesture to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin, were seen in a video being transported by a Red Cross vehicle.
The two women were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Hamas killed Trupanob’s husband, Vitaly. Her son, Sasha, and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, remain captives in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
The hostages were exchanged for the freedom of 30 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including 14 women and 16 minors, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
With the estimated 12 hostages released Wednesday, Hamas will have freed 93 hostages since the truce began on Friday, with Israel releasing 177 prisoners, all women and minors.
Israel says there are about 161 people still being held captive in Gaza, including 146 Israelis and 15 foreign nationals.
Officials said that of the remaining hostages, 126 are men and 35 are women. Eight of the hostages are believed to be under the age of 20.
Israel and Hamas are currently in talks to extend the cease-fire, with Israel previously open to extending the truce for an additional day per every 10 hostages released.
Despite Egyptian and Qatari negotiators’ claims that both sides appear willing to extend the cease-fire for another two days, an agreement has yet to be reached.
“We are doing everything we can in order to get those hostages out. Nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed,” Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters Wednesday. “We’re talking about very sensitive negotiations in which human lives hang in the balance.”
While adhering to the current cease-fire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his vow to destroy Hamas, saying Wednesday that any truce is only temporary.
“From the start of the war I set three goals,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “Eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will never again go back to being a threat to the State of Israel. These three goals still stand.”
“There is no situation in which we do not go back fighting until the end,” he added.
Israeli officials involved in the peace talks had allegedly claimed that they would be unwilling to extend the truce past Sunday, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported.
