January 30, 2025: Eight hostages freed from Gaza amid chaotic scenes as Palestinian prisoners released

Five Thai hostages are seen arriving ahead of the handover to the members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by Hamas in Khan Younis, Gaza on Thursday.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed the identities of the five Thai nationals released in Gaza earlier on Thursday.

They have been named as:

Palestinian militants surround hostage Arbel Yehoud as they hand her over to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday.

The Israeli government says that it has delayed the planned release of 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday after it condemned chaotic scenes surrounding the handover of two Israeli and five Thai hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, earlier on Thursday.

The father of a Thai national among the hostages released on Thursday has told CNN it is “indescribable” to hear that his son was freed from captivity in Gaza.

Wilas Tanna said his son, Pongsak Tanna, was among the group released in Khan Younis.

“This is an indescribable feeling,” he said. “When he returns I want him to enter a monkhood, as (it is) a Thai belief (that) it could get rid of all of the bad luck.”

Pongsak Tanna was working on a farm when he was captured by Hamas on October 7. His father told CNN he will travel to Bangkok from his home in Thailand’s northeastern Buriram to pick him up on his return.

The mother of another hostage, Surasak Lamnao, also told CNN that her son was among the group released.

“I ran out of words. I have been waiting for this day for a long time,” Lamnao’s mother Kammee Lamnao added. “We will make a merit at the temple and hope this kind of bad luck will never return to our family again.”

Israel has not yet confirmed the names of the three other Thai nationals who were released. The five were freed alongside two Israelis, Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, in Khan Younis on Thursday.

The seven hostages released in Khan Younis, Gaza have arrived in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), meaning all eight hostages released Thursday are now in Israel.

A statement from the IDF said the seven returning hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel.

“The two returning Israeli hostages, Arbel Yehud and Gad Moshe Mozes, will be reunited with their families there” along with five Thai nationals, the IDF said.

CNN is confirming the identity of the Thai citizens with the foreign ministry in Bangkok.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli soldier Agam Berger was released from another location in Gaza and has since been reunited with her family.

Arbel Yehoud is handed over to the Red Cross amid chaotic scenes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

After watching hectic scenes surrounding the release of two Israeli hostages and five Thai citizens in southern Gaza, the Israeli government has passed a message to the mediators of the hostage deal that the images from Khan Younis were “not acceptable,” an Israeli official told CNN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages. This is yet another proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terror organization.”

“I demand that the mediators ensure that such horrific scenes do not recur and guarantee the safety of our hostages.”

Four Red Cross vehicles were at the venue for more than an hour as crowds converged on the scene. The hostages were transferred in batches to the Red Cross vehicles by masked militants with rifles - before the Red Cross convoy left the area soon after 1 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET).

The confusion was in marked contrast to previous releases last Saturday, which were carried out amid tighter security, with crowds kept behind a cordon, and to the release earlier Thursday of an Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, in another part of Gaza.

Vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

Two Israelis and five Thai citizens who had been held in Gaza by Palestinian militants have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Arbel Yehoud, 29, and 80-year-old Gadi Mozes were handed over at Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to a live video feed. Both are Israeli civilians. Palestinian Islamic Jihad had earlier published a video of them meeting and embracing.

The armed wings of both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad took part in the handover, along with two other militant factions. Israel confirmed all seven hostages had been handed over, meaning that all eight hostages due for release on Thursday have now been freed.

The transfer of the hostages took place in front of the ruins of the family home of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the armed wing of Hamas in Gaza, who was killed by Israeli forces late last year.

Five Thai nationals abducted on 7 October were also released. They are among eight Thai citizens who were being held in Gaza. A number of Thai citizens were working as laborers in southern Israeli communities when Hamas launched its 7 October attacks.

Gadi Mozes is a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz. His partner Efrat was killed as he was abducted the same day.

Arbel Yehoud was 28 years old when she and her partner Ariel Cunio were kidnapped from their home in kibbutz Nir Oz.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel expected Yehoud, a female civilian hostage, to be among the first hostages to be freed. When she was not released on 25 January, Israel delayed the opening of the Netzarim corridor that bisects the Gaza Strip and refused to let Palestinians into northern Gaza as agreed under the deal.

The dispute was resolved on Sunday, when mediators negotiated her release, and the release of two other Israeli hostages, to take place Thursday.

A view of Ofer Prison, located between Ramallah and Jerusalem, as preparations for the release of Palestinian prisoners continue on Thursday.

Israel is expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

Under that deal, Israel agreed to release:

- 30 prisoners for each freed hostage who is a child, civilian woman or civilian man over the age of 50

- 50 prisoners for each female soldier

- 110 prisoners for each injured or sick hostage

The Hamas Prisoner Media Office said it expected the 110 released on Thursday to include 30 children, 32 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 48 prisoners with high sentences.

Seven hostages - two Israelis and five Thai citizens – have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Khan Younis.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad escort Arbel Yehoud to hand her over to a Red Cross team Khan Younis on Thursday.

Arbel Yehoud was surrounded by militants and a boisterous crowd as she was walked from a van to a Red Cross vehicle at the Khan Younis hostage handover point.

Scores of spectators clamored to catch a glimpse of the Israeli hostage amid the chaotic scene.

Yehoud has now been placed in the Red Cross vehicle, which has started to slowly move away from the scene.

Agam Berger is reunited with her parents on Thursday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have released photos showing freed hostage Agam Berger being reunited with her parents in Israel at a reception facility in southern Israel set up by the IDF.

As with the other released hostages, Berger was first met by IDF staff before being driven a short distance to the reception point.

The Israeli military says that after they were reunited, Berger and her parents left the reception point in an Israeli Air Force helicopter.

She was taken to a hospital where she will receive medical treatment and will also be reunited with the rest of her family and her friends, as well as the other soldiers who were released from captivity last weekend.

Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud is handed over to Red Cross teams in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

The first hostage to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Khan Younis was Israeli Arbel Yehoud.

Her handover was witnessed by CNN moments ago; she was walked from a van to a Red Cross vehicle, and put inside the vehicle.

Six more hostages are understood to be inside the van, with their release expected to be imminent.

Seven people were seen by CNN in the van that arrived at the hostage handover point in Khan Younis on Thursday.

They are thought to be seven hostages: Two Israelis and five Thai citizens.

A first hostage has emerged from a van in Khan Younis, and is being escorted to a Red Cross vehicle amid a chaotic, noisy scene. People are waving Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas flags as militants wearing the green bandanas of Hamas move throughout the crowd.

Agam Berger, the first hostage to be released from captivity in Gaza on Thursday, has passed a medical exam and is in good health, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

A van makes its way through a huge crowd in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

A van is slowly making its way through a huge crowd in Khan Younis, where more hostages are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad soon.

Crowds are cheering and whistling, with many spectators clamoring to get a better look at the convoy. Several militants are walking alongside the van, some waving rifles in the air.

The scene is visibly busier and appears to be less choreographed than Hamas’ hostage release from Jabalya, where a smaller crowd gathered for the freeing of Israeli soldier Agam Berger.

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Hamas propaganda video shows two Israeli hostages hugging before release

00:13 - Source: CNN

Israeli hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moshe Mozes were reunited in Gaza ahead of their expected release on Thursday, seen in a short video of the emotional moment showing them embracing and hugging.

The propaganda video, released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday, was approved for publication by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

In the video Yehoud sits down in a dark space, next to what appears to be an armed guard. The footage then cuts to Mozes and Yehoud hugging, her smiling and making sure he is sitting down, followed by another clip showing Mozes embracing her and kissing her on top of top of her head.

Both Mozes, who is 80, and Yehoud, 29 were kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza perimeter.

Yehoud’s family had been living in the kibbutz for three generations and Mozes was also a long-time resident.

Nir Oz was among the communities most impacted by Hamas’ deadly October 7, 2023 attack. Of its 400 residents, about a quarter were either murdered or killed.

Vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross have arrived in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where two more Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Islamic Jihad soon.

Several militants have also been seen entering the venue in the past few minutes. The handover is expected to take place outside the destroyed house of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed late last year.

It is expected that the two hostages will be released by Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The scenes follow the earlier release of Agam Berger in Jabalya, northern Gaza, by Hamas.

Agam Berger, the first hostage released on Thursday, has arrived at a reception point in southern Israel, where she is being reunited with her family, the Israeli military said.

Berger, a 20-year-old female Israeli soldier, arrived at the facility after being released by Hamas in Jabalya, Gaza earlier Thursday morning.

Yechi Yehoud, father of Arbel, kisses his wife Yael at their home in Rishon LeZion, Israel, on February 6.

Arbel Yehoud’s release on Thursday will come as a huge relief to her family and friends, whose hopes for her return had been repeatedly crushed over the past 15 months.

Despite being a civilian and female, Yehoud was not freed as part of the short-lived November 2023 ceasefire deal which called for the release of all women and children held captive.

Under phase one of the ceasefire agreement, Israel expected Yehoud to be among the first hostages to be let go.

When she was not released last Saturday, Israel delayed the opening of Gaza’s Netzarim corridor, refusing to let Palestinian civilians back into northern Gaza as agreed under the deal. Both sides had accused each other of not sticking to the terms of the agreement.

That dispute is partially attributable to the fact that Yehoud was not being held by Hamas.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement said last Saturday that it, not Hamas, was holding Yehud. Two days later, PIJ released a video of Yehud in which she made remarks that suggested it had been filmed recently.

The dispute was resolved late Sunday, when Hamas agreed to release more hostages, including Yehud, on Thursday and Saturday.

Family members and supporters of Israeli hostage Agam Berger react as they watch a broadcast of Berger during her release in Holon, Israel, on Thursday.

Family and friends of Agam Berger gathered on Thursday morning to watch and celebrate her release by Hamas in Gaza.

Berger’s family released a statement saying: “Thank God we have reached this moment, and our hero Agam has returned to us after 482 days in enemy hands.

“We want to thank the security forces and all the people of Israel for their support and prayers.”

Family members and supporters of Israeli hostage Agam Berger react as they watch a broadcast of Berger during her release, in Holon, Israel, on Thursday.

“Now Agam and our family can begin the healing process, but the recovery will not be complete until all the hostages return home.”

Berger’s family had campaigned for her release since she was taken hostage on October 7. Last May Berger’s family, along with the families of other hostages taken at the same military base near the Israeli border with Gaza, took the decision to release graphic footage of her abduction.

Hamas militants escort Israeli hostage Agam Berger, center, before handing her over to a Red Cross team in Jabalya, Gaza, on Thursday.

Agam Berger was kidnapped by Hamas militants in the morning, still wearing her pajamas. When she emerged from captivity, 15 months later, she was dressed in green fatigues.

When Hamas handed over four other Israeli female soldiers last Saturday, they also dressed them in makeshift army uniforms.

Berger was walked out into public view in a square in Jabalya on Thursday morning. She was surrounded by militants, their faces covered and rifles in their hands.

A few cameras also walked alongside her, displaying her release to the world. A crowd had gathered, in front of a backdrop of destroyed buildings, though there appeared to be fewer spectators than in Khan Younis, where a second release of Israeli hostages is expected.

Red Cross vehicles wait for the hand-over of Israeli soldier hostage Agam Berger at the Jabalya refugee camp on Thursday.

Overhead, bunting displaying the Palestinian flag criss-crossed the area. Some people watching waved flags of their own.

Berger waved to the crowd before being handed to members of the Red Cross.

Red Cross buses have been seen entering Israel’s Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

Dozens of Israeli military vehicles can also be seen in front of the prison.

Israeli authorities are expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners today, including 30 children and 32 people who were sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Hamas.

Gadi Moshe Mozes

Gadi Moshe Mozes, 80, was released by militants in southern Gaza on Thursday, along with Arbel Yehud and five Thai nationals.

He is the first man to be released under the current ceasefire agreement.

Mozes was 79 when he was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. His partner Efrat was killed along with several other members of his family, including his partner’s daughter. His two young granddaughters were kidnapped and later released.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Mozes frequently lectured on agriculture at the kibbutz. A founding member of the kibbutz’s vineyard, he also helped to maintain the community vegetable garden.

His family has described him as a devoted family man and a loving grandfather, known for his sociable nature and his belief in the good of humans and the importance of coexistence.

The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, released a video in December 2023 showing Mozes and another hostage, Gadi Katzir, speaking in front of the camera, asking the Israeli government to arrange their release.

A crowd greets Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters as they arrive for the hand-over of Israeli and Thai hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

Vehicles have been filmed driving towards the site of the second hostage release in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where two more Israeli hostages - Arbel Yehoud, and Gadi Moses - are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The scenes follow an earlier handover display by Hamas in Jabalya, where Agam Berger became the first Israeli hostage to be released on Thursday.

Arbel Yehoud

Arbel Yehud was released by militants in southern Gaza on Thursday, along with Gadi Moshe Mozes and Thai nationals Pongsak Thanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao, and Surasak Lamnao.

Yehud was 28-years-old when she and her partner Ariel Cunio were kidnapped from their home in kibbutz Nir Oz. Cunio and his brother David, who was also kidnapped, remain in captivity. Yehoud’s brother Dolev was killed on October 7, 2023.

Yehoud was not released as part of the short-lived 2023 ceasefire deal, despite the agreement calling for the release of all women and children held captive.

Yehoud’s friends and family have described her as a devoted aunt, a fan of horseback riding and skateboarding and said she and Cunio had adopted a kitten, called Dude, before they were kidnapped.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also said that Yehoud’s family had been living in the kibbutz for three generations. The forum said she worked at the Center for Technology, Science and Space at the Eshkol Regional Council and had “a deep love for people and nature.”

A Hamas fighter stands next to a crowd as before the hand-over of Israeli and Thai hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday.

Crowds of people are gathered at Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, where two additional Israeli hostages are expected to be released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The handover display is expected to take place just steps from the home of the former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the Israeli military in November.

People are waving green flags amid a background of destroyed buildings.

Four armed factions have said they are participating in the handover operation in Gaza on Thursday:

This post has been updated with more details.

Large crowds have been gathering at a central Tel Aviv plaza dubbed “Hostage Square” to watch and celebrate the return of hostages from Gaza. Five Thai citizens are among the eight people expected to be released on Thursday.

People are waving Thai and Israeli flags in anticipation of their release.

Thais were one of the largest groups of foreign nationals killed and kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Thailand has been one of Israel’s biggest sources of migrant labor for decades, with thousands of migrant laborers working in agriculture in Israel’s southern district near the Gaza strip.

As of Thursday morning, eight Thai nationals were still being held in Gaza, according to the Israeli government. Unlike the Israeli hostages, whose names and photographs have been on display in public places across Israel for the past 15 months, the Thais held in captivity have not been publicly named.

The Thai citizens are expected to be released in addition to the 25 Israeli hostages set to be freed in the coming days and weeks under the first phase of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire and hostages deal.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in May 2024 that two of the eight Thai citizens still in Gaza were presumed dead. The ministry named the two as Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Hamas hands Israeli hostage Agam Berger to Red Cross in Gaza

00:17 - Source: CNN

Agam Berger is the last of the seven female soldiers who were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023 to be returned to Israel.

One of the seven soldiers, Ori Megidish, was rescued by the IDF on October 30, 2023. Another soldier, Noa Marciano, 19, was killed in Gaza and her body was recovered by the Israeli military on November 17, 2023.

The other five female soldiers were not released as part of the short-lived 2023 ceasefire deal, despite the agreement calling for the release of all women and children held captive. Hamas said they would not release them because of their status as active duty soldiers.

Four of the five women - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - were freed last Saturday, as part of the second round of hostage releases.

Videos of the women’s kidnapping became symbolic of the brutality of the October 7 attacks.

One piece of footage showed the young women lined up against a wall wearing their pajamas, their hands bound, their bodies bruised and bloodied. The video was released by the women’s families in May to put pressure on the Israeli government to secure a deal to have them freed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted at that time that it had failed to defend its personnel at the Nahal Oz base.

Palestinian Hamas militants release female Israeli soldier Agam Berger held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The Israeli military has confirmed that Agam Berger, who was released by Hamas in Gaza at about 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) Thursday, “is currently being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on her return to Israeli territory, where she will undergo an initial medical assessment.”

Agam Berger

Agam Berger was just 19 when she was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023. Her family said she arrived to the outpost to serve as a “spotter” just two days prior to her abduction.

Berger is from Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. She has three siblings - a twin sister and two younger brothers. Her family said she has played the violin since the age of eight and has in the past volunteered with at-risk youth.

She turned 20 while in captivity.

Palestinian Hamas militants release female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who was held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a deal between Hamas and Israel, in Jabalya on Thursday.

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier who was abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, has been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, video of the handover showed.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that one hostage had been handed to the ICRC.

Berger, who was held by Hamas, is the first of eight hostages due to be released Thursday. She was led from a building to a stage before being handed over to the ICRC.

Two Red Cross officials were seen speaking with a masked Hamas fighter shortly before the handover.

Two other Israeli hostages - Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses - scheduled to be released on Thursday, are held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which published a video of them early Thursday meeting and embracing.

Five Thai nationals abducted on October 7 are also due to be released. Israeli is also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday.

The hostages are due to be taken to different hospitals in Israel.

Arbel Yehoud was kidnapped from her home in the Nir Oz kibbutz, along with her partner Ariel Cunio, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said on Wednesday.

Gadi Moses, a grandfather and keen agronomist, also was taken from Nir Oz.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities targeted by Hamas in the attacks of October 7, 2023, with more than a quarter of its population of 400 being either killed or kidnapped.

A soldier walks among the debris of a burnt house at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, on November 21, 2023.

Osnat Peri, the chairwoman of Kibbutz Nir Oz, described the news of the releases as “an exciting moment for us, and another step on the long road to bringing all our loved ones home.”

Moses’ family said Wednesday they had “received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi’s return to us tomorrow,” thanking “the people of Israel for their embrace and support.”

Agam Berger, was a soldier abducted from a military base beside the Nahal Oz kibbutz and was the first to be released by Hamas on Thursday.

Israelis take part in a protest outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) headquarters in Jerusalem on February 5.

An Israeli ban on the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) comes into effect today as Israel warns that it will “cease all cooperation” with the aid organization.

“UNRWA must halt its activities and vacate all its facilities in Jerusalem,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told UN Security Council members on Tuesday.

In late October, the Israeli parliament approved two bills, one barring UNRWA from operations within Israel, and another prohibiting Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA. The agency is a critical lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The vote was swiftly criticized by UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini, who said it violated international law and was “the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role toward providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees.”

The ban came after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. UNRWA has long maintained that Israel has not provided it with evidence against its former employees. The agency says it had regularly provided Israel with a full list of its staff members and has accused Israel of detaining and torturing some of its staffers, coercing them into making false confessions about ties to Hamas. A UN investigation found that nine of the agency’s employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack, and no longer work there.

Some context: The agency, which began by assisting about 750,000 Palestinian refugees in 1950, now serves some 5.9 million across the Middle East, many of whom live in refugee camps – now cities within cities – in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

In the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by a devastating Israeli war for more than a year, UNRWA serves some 1.7 million Palestinian refugees. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it assists around 871,500 refugees.

Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses

The three Israeli hostages due to be released in Gaza on Thursday were earlier named by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which also confirmed that five Thai nationals will be freed.

“The list of names received from Hamas today by the mediators Qatar and Egypt includes: Arbel Yehoud (29 years old), Agam Berger (19) and Gadi Moses (80),” the PMO said.

The names of the five Thai citizens to be freed have not been made public.

Israeli authorities are also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday. Of those, 32 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another 30 are children, according to Hamas.