Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu are set to be released this coming Saturday from Hamas captivity. Mengistu and al-Sayed have been in captivity for over ten years, after independently entering Gaza. The names of the six hostages scheduled for release were published after all families received official updates.
The announcement followed prolonged diplomatic efforts and intensive negotiations between the involved parties. The release of these six marks another step in Phase 1 of the deal to secure the freedom of hostages held by the terror organization.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated: “The forum welcomes the joyful news of the imminent release of Avera Mengistu after 3,821 days, Hisham al-Sayed after 3,595 days, and Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert after 505 days in Hamas captivity. We must reach a comprehensive and immediate agreement that will bring back all hostages—the living for rehabilitation and the fallen for a proper burial.”
The Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate of the Prime Minister’s Office has urged everyone to avoid spreading photos, names, and rumors concerning the expected return of fallen hostages’ remains on Thursday, to protect the privacy of the families in their time of grief.
Israeli Official: Ron Dermer to Lead Negotiations
An Israeli official stated that in the coming days, Israel will enter negotiations for Phase 2, a diplomatic stage addressing the conditions for ending the war. Accordingly, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will henceforth lead the effort on behalf of Israel in discussions with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff: “Israel will present its security demands during negotiations, based on the war objectives set by the Security Cabinet.”
The Next Stage
“If Israel is forced to resume fighting in Gaza due to Hamas’s refusal,” the Israeli official emphasized, “it will do so with intensified and lethal force, with full backing from the Trump administration, with a renewed stockpile of munitions, with refreshed forces, and with a completely different combat strategy.”
The official noted that as part of the negotiations for the return of Israeli hostages, Israel approved only a minimal amount of caravans and heavy equipment to enter Gaza. This move does not alter the feasibility of implementing the Trump Plan for voluntary migration and creating a different Gaza—an initiative to which, he said, Prime Minister Netanyahu remains fully committed.
