20 hostages held in Gaza poised for release : NPR
A man walks past a billboard displaying portraits of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants since October 2023.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty images
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AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty images
TEL AVIV, Israel — During Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 251 people were kidnapped and taken across the border to Gaza. As part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the remaining hostages are expected to be released on Monday. After more than two years, Israeli officials say that of the 48 remaining Israeli and foreign hostages, 20 are still alive. After their release, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The hostages are expected to be released early Monday morning. Here are the names and stories of the hostages Israel says remain alive:
Alon Ohel (24) — musician and pianist, Ohel was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, dragged from a shelter where he was hiding among the injured and dead. His parents, ardent advocates for the return of the hostages, placed dozens of pianos across Israel with the message “You are not alone.” In 2024, his mother, Idit Ohel, organizes a concert for him on the Gaza border. She told NPR, “I know he’s alive because he was taken alive, and I know he’s alive because I’m a mother.”
Ariel (28 years old) and David (35 years old) Cunio — brothers from Kibbutz Nir Oz, were kidnapped on October 7 with their wives and children. Although their families were freed in earlier agreements, the brothers remained in captivity. In July 2025, their mother, Sylvia, said: “I always try to stay optimistic because there’s no other way…I just want them all to come home.” »
Avinatan Ou (32) – the second of seven siblings, has a degree in electrical and computer engineering and has worked in the high-tech sector. He was kidnapped at the Nova festival with his partner, Noa Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces last year. Footage of their kidnapping, showing Hamas gunmen separating them, became a defining image of the October 7 attacks. In March 2025, released hostages delivered a sign of life from him to his family.
Bar Kupersstein (23) — the eldest of five siblings and the family’s main breadwinner after his father became disabled, was kidnapped in Gaza while working at the Nova festival. A motorcycle enthusiast, he was last seen in a Hamas video in April 2025 alongside hostage Maksim Harkin.
Elkana Bohbot (36) – was working at the Nova music festival when he was kidnapped. Several videos of him in captivity have surfaced, the most recent from May 2025. Three months ago, his mother told Galei Tzahal (Military Radio): “I don’t want to hear anymore, I just want to see the headline: ‘We signed the agreement.’ I’m exhausted by the promises. I lost my reason, my optimism. My body can’t take it anymore. »
Eitan Corne (39) – was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his brother Yair, who was released earlier this year. An informal education professional, Eitan spent part of his captivity with Yair, and the brothers reportedly fled through tunnels during Israeli airstrikes. Yair’s release in February 2025 brought relief to the family, but it left them deeply worried about Eitan.
Eitan Mor (25) — the eldest of eight siblings, he worked as a barista and dreamed of opening his own cafe. He was kidnapped from the Nova festival, where he worked as a security guard. Freed hostages described him as a morale booster who even confronted the captors on behalf of others. His family in Kiryat Arba has publicly opposed compromise deals with Hamas, arguing that they endanger Israelis in the long term.
Evyatar David (24)– was working as a team leader at a cafe and planning a trip to Southeast Asia. He was kidnapped at the Nova music festival alongside his friend Guy Gilboa Dalal. In August 2025, Hamas released videos showing him emaciated, digging his own grave under orders and, speaking under duress, urging the Israeli prime minister to agree to a ceasefire. The images sparked outrage and dismay across Israel.
The twins hold portraits of Gali and Ziv Berman, who were kidnapped by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack and since held hostage in the Gaza Strip, during a rally calling for their release, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv.
JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
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Gali Berman and Ziv Berman (28 years old)— twin brothers from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, were kidnapped from their home on October 7. Lovers of football and travel, they ran a sound and lighting company together and recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica. Freed hostages reported that as of February 2025, the brothers were alive but held separately – the longest period they had ever spent apart, according to their older brother Liran.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal (24) — a Japanese animation and anime enthusiast who had planned to travel to Japan, was kidnapped on October 7 at the Nova festival alongside his close friend Evyatar David. His brother Gal managed to escape. In February 2025, Hamas released a video showing them witnessing the release of their friends. Freed hostages reported that Guy suffered severe abuse and starvation, leaving him in extremely poor physical and mental condition.
Michel Illouz (left), father of Guy Illouz, and Ilan Dalal, father of hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal (right), embrace and react next to demonstrators clapping and holding signs reading “they are coming home” at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on October 11.
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Maxime Herkin (35) – a dual Israeli-Russian national and Ukrainian immigrant, was kidnapped during the Nova festival, where two of his close friends were killed. The father of a daughter in Russia and a partner in Israel, he texted his mother “I love you” the day he was kidnapped and has had no contact since. In May 2025, Hamas released a video showing him pale and thin. His mother told Israeli media: “Until I get my son back, I won’t say thank you. »
Matan Angrest (22) — the soldier was captured when his tank was attacked by Hamas near the Gaza perimeter fence. Passionate about sport and football, he suffered abuse and interrogations from Hamas members, according to the released hostages. His last known appearance dates back to a Hamas video published in March 2025.
Matan Zangauker (25) -was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his partner, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was released in November 2023. The couple worked on the kibbutz’s medical cannabis farm, and their home was among the first targeted by Hamas on October 7. The women of 2024.
Nimrod Cohen (20) – a soldier pulled from his tank during the October 7 attacks near Kibbutz Nirim, near the border with Gaza. He was 19 at the time. Hamas released images of his capture, and the freed hostages later confirmed that he was alive, although in poor physical and mental condition. A lover of nature, a fan of hiking and video games, his mother, Viki, wrote on social networks after the ceasefire: “My child, you are coming home”.
Omri Miran (48) – a shiatsu therapist and head gardener of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was kidnapped from his home in Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, in front of his wife and two daughters. Hamas later released images of his kidnapping. The oldest hostage still held in Gaza, his father, Dani Miran, has become a leading advocate for the release of the hostages. Speaking to NPR last week, he said, “I feel on top of the world, like my son was born again.”
Rom Braslavski (21) – a Jerusalem soldier working as a security guard at the Nova festival, was kidnapped after helping others escape, his family said. In April 2025, Islamic Jihad released a video showing him emaciated and in poor health. Contact with him was lost in July, but Israeli authorities believe he is still alive. His parents are the main spokespersons for the movement in favor of the families of the hostages.
Segev Kalfon (27) – Kalfon was kidnapped while trying to escape Hamas gunmen during the Nova music festival. A friend later told his family that activists approached their car and arrested Segev, a finance student from Tel Aviv who had been diagnosed with severe anxiety weeks earlier after a car accident. Her mother fears for her health, saying she has been denied essential medication.
Yossef Haïm Ohana (25 years old) – bartender and eldest son of a single mother he helped support, he loves biking, camping and hiking. He was kidnapped from the Nova festival after risking his life to help others escape the attack. Freed hostages later reported seeing him alive, and in May 2025, Hamas released a video showing him alongside compatriot Elkana Buchbut.
