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Hamas to Release Eight Hostages, Including Three Israelis and Five Thai Nationals, in Latest Agreement
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a crucial development in the ongoing hostage negotiations, Hamas has agreed to release eight individuals, including three Israeli citizens and five Thai nationals, on Thursday, according to officials from both Israel and Hamas. CBS News reported on Wednesday that this agreement comes amid a delicate ceasefire that has temporarily halted the prolonged war in Gaza.
As the CBS News report detailed, the Israeli hostages scheduled for release include two women—Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Agam Berger, 19—as well as 80-year-old Gadi Moses. Officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity confirmed the release plan and stated that the hostages’ families had given permission to publicize their names. The identities of the five Thai nationals remain unknown at this time. Many foreign workers were among those kidnapped by Hamas during its deadly attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the latest conflict between Israel and the militant group.
They’re all gonna come home https://t.co/zolYOTvDSb
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) January 30, 2025
The latest figures indicate that 89 hostages—both alive and deceased—remain in Gaza, including seven dual U.S.-Israeli citizens. CBS News reported that among them are Keith Siegel, 65, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who was raised in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. In addition to those still held, four other Americans are believed to have been killed. However, there remains no clear timeline for when, or if, any of the American hostages will be released.
This upcoming release helps sustain the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which was negotiated earlier this month. According to the information provided in the CBS News report, the agreement allows for Hamas to release hostages in phases in exchange for the liberation of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention centers. This calculated exchange has been crucial in maintaining a temporary halt to the hostilities that have gripped the region for the past 15 months.
From Al Jazeera network, Hamas favorite television sympathizer @AJEnglish #Hamas https://t.co/HZPLJlUXwt
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) January 30, 2025
Adding to the geopolitical significance of this moment, the CBS News report noted that Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, was in Israel on Wednesday for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader is set to visit Washington next week to meet with President Trump, marking the first official foreign leader visit of Trump’s second term. The hostage situation, alongside broader U.S.-Israeli relations and regional security issues, is expected to be a major topic of discussion.
Thursday’s hostage release was not part of the original agreement but emerged as a result of a standoff between Israel and Hamas over the selection of hostages freed in the previous exchange. As was indicated in the CBS News report, Israel had specifically demanded that Arbel Yehoud, a civilian, be included in the earlier group of released individuals. When Hamas failed to comply, Israel responded by restricting the movement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were attempting to return to the war-ravaged northern region of Gaza. This tactical maneuver by Israel appears to have influenced Hamas to include Yehoud in the upcoming release.
Agam Berger, 20, surrounded by jihadist terrorists in masks with guns on a stage after almost 500 days in gruelling captivity. And where are the feminists? Exactly.
You’re coming home now Agam. 🎗️ pic.twitter.com/WCYKSq916k
— Eve Barlow (@Eve_Barlow) January 30, 2025
A subsequent release is scheduled for Saturday, during which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has confirmed that male hostages will be freed, as was reported by CBS News. As part of the broader agreement, dozens of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are also set to be released on both Thursday and Saturday.
The temporary pause in fighting has revealed the extent of devastation in Gaza, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. The CBS News report highlighted that this destruction prompted President Trump to suggest over the weekend that neighboring Jordan and Egypt accept displaced Palestinians. However, the proposal was swiftly rejected by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday, marking a significant diplomatic rebuke to the U.S. administration.
“We’ll never leave you again.” Agam Berger’s mother reuniting after agonizing 482 days of her daughter being held in Hamas captivity. pic.twitter.com/zrqr92hnqR
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) January 30, 2025
Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians, potentially on a temporary or permanent basis, is not new but has been consistently opposed by both nations and the Palestinians themselves. As per the information in the CBS News report, opponents have argued that such resettlement would undermine Palestinian statehood aspirations and risk destabilizing host countries. During a press conference in Cairo alongside the visiting Kenyan president, el-Sissi condemned the proposal as “an injustice” and declared that Egypt would not participate in any forced transfer of Palestinians.
“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” el-Sissi stated, according to CBS News. He emphasized that transferring Palestinians from their homeland is neither viable nor acceptable and reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with the Trump administration on a peace process rooted in a two-state framework.
As you can see they’re all mob of terrorists in #Gaza https://t.co/fKx0FwILCQ
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) January 30, 2025
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, during which the Iranian-backed terrorist group brutally massacred approximately 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Since then, negotiations over hostages and ceasefire terms have played a central role in diplomatic efforts, with mediation from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar.
Palestinian history has been marked by cycles of displacement, and the idea of remaining steadfast in their homeland is a core part of Palestinian identity. The report at CBS News explained that many Palestinians fear that if they leave Gaza, they may never be allowed to return—particularly given growing calls from far-right factions in Israel advocating for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza. While Netanyahu has dismissed these proposals as unrealistic, their emergence has intensified Palestinian concerns about permanent dispossession.
Egypt and Jordan both maintain peace treaties with Israel but continue to support the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing the Judea and Samaria region of Israel and East Jerusalem. The CBS News report indicated that these nations worry that any forced displacement of Gaza’s population could permanently derail prospects for Palestinian statehood. Additionally, both countries are major recipients of U.S. aid, with billions of dollars in American military assistance flowing to Egypt and Israel annually. Unlike other global aid programs, these military allocations were exempted from recent U.S. funding freezes, ensuring continued support despite shifting policy debates.
There’s no limit to the barbarity and evil of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, forcing the hostages to walk through a crowd of thousands of people to terrorize them further.
Arbel Yahud and Gadi Moses are now in the Red Cross cars and are heading to Israel. pic.twitter.com/XNIMJXWMXG
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) January 30, 2025
The report also said that the rejection of Trump’s resettlement proposal highlights deep-seated tensions in the region and calls attention to the challenges in reaching a lasting resolution to the conflict. With Netanyahu set to visit Washington next week as the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term, discussions over the war, the ceasefire, and broader Middle East policy are expected to be at the forefront of diplomatic negotiations.
