Israel has confirmed the identities of the 10 hostages who were released on Wednesday evening, after 53 days of being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
An additional two Russian citizens were released by Hamas on Wednesday.
Raya Rotem
Raya Rotem, 54, mother to Hila Rotem, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists during an attack on their community in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. This attack resulted in the death of an estimated 10% of the residents and the kidnapping of dozens of people.
She was hiding in her safe room with her daughter that morning and sent a message to Raya’s brother at 12:05 p.m., informing him that they were being abducted and taken to Gaza.
This was the last communication anyone had with Raya or Hila.
It wasn’t confirmed that they were Hamas hostages until October 29 when their family was informed that they were officially captives in Gaza.
Raz Ben Ami
Raz Ben Ami, 55, and Ohad, 57, were abducted from their home by Hamas in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 during a violent attack.
One of their daughters, Ela, survived and communicated with her father until his abduction.
Both Ohad and Raz were later photographed being pulled by terrorists, and Raz, who has a serious illness, requires medication for pain management, making her situation critical.
Yarden Roman, 36, was also among those released.
Liat Beinin Atzili
American-born couple Liat Beinin Atzili and Aviv Atzili, 49, have been missing from Kibbutz Nir Oz since October 7. Aviv left in the early morning as part of the security response team when Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, while Liat remained in their safe room, last contacting a friend at 11:30 a.m.
Aviv’s phone was tracked to Gaza, and their house was found burned, though without signs of struggle.
Aviv’s mother, Telma Atzili, 78, hid for 10 hours during the attack and is now in Eilat with her grandchildren.
Liam Or
Liam Or, 18, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with his cousins and uncle from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.
Ofir Engel
Ofir Engel, 17, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists when they attacked his kibbutz on October 7. The Engel family has been missing since then, with the last known communication being with Ofir’s mother and her sister when she told her that there were terrorists in their home.
The family’s phones were traced to Gaza, and while there were no signs of violence in their home and their dog was alive, their fate remains uncertain.
Amit Shani
Amit Shani, 16, was staying at his mother’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 when seven Hamas terrorists came into the home and kidnapped him from his room.
According to Amit’s father who spoke to BringThemHomeNow, Amit, his mother, and his two sisters were hiding in the safe room when the terrorists came in, threatened them at gunpoint, grabbed Amit, and pushed him into a vehicle with two other hostages.
Gali Tarshansky
Gali Tarshansky, 13, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Gali and her older brother Lior were hiding in the saferoom when Hamas terrorists came in, killed Lior, and kidnapped Gali. Her dog Moka was also killed.
Yarden Roman, 36
Yarden Roman was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri the morning after she returned to Israel to celebrate Simchat Torah after a trip abroad with her husband, daughter, and sister. Yarden, husband Alon, and daughter Geffen hid in their family’s safe room until terrorists broke into their home and loaded them into a car. As they approached the Gaza border, the terrorists paused for a moment, and Alon and Yarden escaped. She handed Geffen to her husband, and the two of them made it to safety, while Yarden was recaptured and abducted to Gaza.
Itay Regev, 18
Itay Regev, from Herzliya, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his sister Maya, who was released on Saturday. The morning of the attack, Maya called their father, and screamed, “Dad, they’re shooting at me, I’m dead.” Itay was later seen in a Hamas video, handcuffed in the back of a vehicle.
Moran Stela Yanai, 40
Moran Yanai, a jewelry designer, was selling her work at the Nova festival on October 7. She made several frightened calls to her parents the morning of the attack, who then lost contact. A video later surfaced showing terrorists taking Yanai from a ditch where she was hiding. Family have described her to media as a caretaker of her elderly parents and a committed animal-rescue activist.
Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati
Yelena Trupanob and Irena Tati, two dual Russian-Israeli citizens, were taken hostage by Hamas from their home in Nir Oz on October 7. Hamas stated on Wednesday afternoon that they were released as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to the 10 Israelis released as part of the ceasefire deal on Wednesday.
Trupanob’s son Sasha and Sasha’s partner, Sapir Cohen, are still being held hostage by Hamas. Trupanob’s husband, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7.
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