Anticipation among the families of hostages is rising around the next steps for those still held by militant groups in Gaza, after Israel and Hamas signaled readiness to move forward with President Trump’s plan for their release.
On Friday, Hamas announced its openness to release “all occupation prisoners,” both living and dead, according to the “exchange formula” of President Trump’s proposal. About 20 hostages are believed to be alive.
On Saturday, the Israeli government said it was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the “release of all hostages.”
In the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted about 250 others, taking them into Gaza. People kidnapped included citizens of Israel, the United States, Thailand and other countries. Children were among those taken.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing many families of the hostages, has expressed support for Mr. Trump’s plan, calling on the Israeli government to “do everything possible” to bring them home.
Here is what to know about the hostages in Gaza and the next steps in Mr. Trump’s plan.
How many hostages are in Gaza?
Israel believes that at least 20 living hostages are still in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 25 others. Videos released on July 31 and Aug. 1 showed two captives looking emaciated and frail, shocking many Israelis and raising questions about how much longer the men could survive. Last month, Hamas released a photograph of 48 hostages still held in Gaza, telling the world to say “farewell.”
How would President Trump’s plan work?
According to the White House’s 20-point peace plan, all the hostages, alive and dead, would be returned within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement.
Once all hostages are released, the plan says, Israel would “release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023.”
“For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans,” the plan says.
It is unclear how the plan’s timeline would work.
A senior Hamas official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said on Friday that the 72-hour window to release all the hostages was “unrealistic.” In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said time would be needed to find the bodies of some hostages.
“Some have been buried, some are in areas under the occupation’s control, and some — as a result of the destruction and leveling that took place — need to be looked into,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Al Araby TV, a Qatar-based broadcaster.
What happened to the other hostages?
Many of the people kidnapped on Oct. 7 have been freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails across two cease-fires, one early in the war and another early this year. At least eight hostages were freed in Israeli military operations, as well.
More than three dozen hostages have been killed in captivity, according to an investigation by The New York Times.
Seven hostages were executed by their captors as Israeli soldiers drew near, and four others died in Israeli airstrikes, according to Israeli officials and the public findings of military investigations.
Three hostages were killed by Israeli soldiers who mistook them for Palestinian militants, the Israeli military has said; one was shot dead in crossfire. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of the others remain inconclusive.
How are families of the hostages reacting?
The families of hostages have reacted to the signals around Mr. Trump’s plan with a mix of cautious optimism and trepidation, urging the Israeli government not to squander the opportunity.
In a social media statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “We are in decisive days for a deal — days that will determine when the living hostages return for rehabilitation and the deceased return for proper burial.”
They have called on other Israelis to join them in Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, to rally for the hostages’ release.
Many relatives of the hostages and their supporters had opposed Israel’s recent expanded ground offensive in Gaza City, arguing that the campaign would further endanger hostages.