For the first time in two months, Israeli Shira Havron can breathe a sigh of relief: six of her seven family members who were held hostage by Hamas have been released (see video above). Her cousin’s husband, Tal Shoham, who also has Austrian citizenship, remains held hostage in Gaza.
When the terrorist organization Hamas carried out its massacre in Israel on October 7 and kidnapped civilians, Israeli-Austrian dual national Tal Shoham was one of them. His wife and two children (8 and 3) were able to return to Israel as a result of the release of hostages in recent days. Shoham, 38, is still being held hostage in Gaza.
‘Rised from the Dead’
Shira Havron, the cousin of Tal Shoham’s wife, fears for her relative. Her husband and three other family members were killed in the Hamas attack. In any case, the Israeli can breathe a sigh of relief that most of her kidnapped loved ones have now been released. When she saw family members on television, Shavron told the AP that she felt like they had “risen from the dead.”
But it will not be over until Tal Shoham and the other hostages are released by Hamas, the woman emphasizes. “As relieved and grateful as we are that part of our family and the children are back, it is not over yet. We can’t celebrate and move on with our lives until everyone gets back,” she said.
Hamas handed over list: More releases are in the pipeline
Most recently, Hamas released another eleven hostages on Monday evening, and in return Israel released 33 Palestinian prisoners from various prisons. A total of 69 hostages have been released since Friday and there are hopes that more abductees will be released today, Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the Israeli government again received a list of people about to be released. They are expected to be released as early as Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported, citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The ceasefire in the Gaza war had previously been extended by two days. It would be the first group to be released from Islamist control after the ceasefire was extended.
33 Palestinian prisoners released
The fourth group of hostages released Monday evening consisted of two mothers and nine children. The youngest children are three-year-old twins. According to Qatar, those released included three French dual citizens, two Germans and six Argentinians.
In return, 33 female and teenage Palestinian prisoners were released, Israeli prison authorities confirmed Tuesday evening. These were women and young people; the youngest was reportedly 14 years old.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
