After Israeli hostages were released from the Gaza Strip on October 13, 2025, their relatives spoke to reporters in hospitals where the former captives were undergoing initial examinations. The handover took place under the first stage of an agreement mediated by Egypt, Qatar and other countries; it also provides for a temporary ceasefire, a partial Israeli troop pullback and the return of the bodies of those who died.
Elkana Bohbot’s mother, Ruhama, said her son had seen her on television during protests calling for the captives’ release. She said he had been kept in chains and that on his wedding anniversary he asked only to be allowed to wash. After returning, he told his family they now had to relearn how to value sunlight, trees and water.
The father of Yosef Haim Ohana relayed his son’s account of how seven hostages were taken deeper into a tunnel after the deal was signed and placed in a cramped pit with almost no oxygen. Later, they managed to connect a radio receiver to an electrical cable and heard the father’s interview on army radio, which, he said, gave them strength.
At Ichilov Hospital, the families of Matan Angrest, Nimrod Cohen, Omri Miran and Eitan Horn thanked the Israeli public, the army, volunteers, US President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Eitan’s brother, former hostage Yair Horn, said:
“Only today am I truly free.”
Relatives stressed that those released had returned exhausted and faced a long recovery. At the same time, they insisted that the struggle was not over until all remaining hostages and the bodies of the dead were brought home for burial.
As of October 15, Hamas had handed over the bodies of seven Israelis, and later that evening remains of four more people were transferred. Identification confirmed Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch and Eitan Levi; the fourth body did not belong to any Israeli hostage. According to these figures, the bodies of 21 hostages still remained in Gaza.