Twenty living Israeli hostages reunited with their families after 738 days in Hamas captivity.
Twenty Israeli hostages held in Gaza for more than two years were released by Hamas on Oct. 13 as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
After crossing into Israel, they were received at the Reim military base for identification and medical evaluation before being transferred to hospitals.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the development but said the effort to locate and return all captives is not over. The agreement also calls for the return of 28 deceased Israeli hostages. Four bodies have been repatriated so far, the IDF said in an Oct. 13 post on X.
Here’s a look at the 20 Israelis who have now returned home.
From the Nova Music Festival
Many of those released were taken from the Nova music festival near Reim, one of the main sites of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Evyatar David, 24, was abducted alongside his friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was also released.
Described as a “talented musician” by the families forum, David was subjected to brutal conditions while in captivity, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He suffered severe starvation and was “forced to dig what he was led to believe would be his grave,” the ministry said.
Gilboa-Dalal, also 24, was “subjected to severe conditions: extreme dehydration left him temporarily unable to speak,” the Israeli government said in a social media post.
Bar Abraham Kupershtein, 23, worked at the festival, helping the wounded before being taken.
“He was a primary breadwinner for his family, supporting his disabled father, mother, and 4 younger siblings,” the Israeli government said.
