8 hostages, including 5 Thai nationals, return to Israel following chaotic scenes in Gaza

Eight hostages returned to Israel in two separate releases on Thursday, following scenes of chaos and intimidation as the terror groups that abducted them handed them over to the Red Cross.

Agam Berger, the last woman soldier remaining in Gaza, was released first, after Hamas forced her to walk across a stage and pose with a certificate. In Israel, she was reunited with her family and was set to be reunited with the four other women soldiers with whom she had been held until their release on Saturday.

Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehud, civilians who had been abducted by the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were released separately. They were made to walk through a dense crowd of Hamas supporters in front of the home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Khan Younis before reaching representatives of the Red Cross.

Additionally, five Thai nationals who were not part of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas also returned to Israel, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with the Thai ambassador. Three Thai nationals remain hostages in Gaza, of whom two are known to be dead.

Islamic Jihad released a video of Yehud and Mozes, neighbors from Kibbutz Nir Oz, embracing before their release. According Yehud’s reunion with Mozes marked the first time she had seen another Israeli since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Mozes, 80, was one of the oldest hostages remaining in Gaza. He had previously been seen alive in a hostage video released by Islamic Jihad in December 2023; another hostage seen on tape that day was later found dead. His partner Efrat was murdered on Oct. 7.

Yehud was abducted with her partner, Ariel Cunio, who remains a hostage in Gaza, as does his brother David, whose wife and children were released in a previous ceasefire in November 2023. Yehud’s brother Dolev was murdered on Oct. 7.

Condemning the chaotic scenes from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a delay in the release of the Palestinian security prisoners that Israel had committed to free in exchange for the hostages until Hamas could assure him that hostages released in the future would be safe.

The number of hostages remaining in Gaza is 78, of whom 23 are set for release during the current ceasefire.