A ceasefire agreement has been implemented in Gaza, paving the way for Hamas to release all 48 hostages—both Israeli and foreign nationals—who have been held since the outbreak of war nearly two years ago. Of these individuals, 20 are currently believed to be alive, though their exact conditions remain uncertain.
Nearly all of the hostages, with the exception of one, were captured during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, an assault that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign in Gaza. According to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, this offensive has claimed more than 67,000 lives, underscoring the scale and human cost of the ongoing conflict.
Hostages Presumed Alive
Ariel Cunio, 28, was abducted during the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October 2023. His brother, Eitan, who escaped the Hamas-led gunmen, said the last message from Ariel said: “We are in a horror movie.” Ariel’s partner, Arbel Yehud, was freed in January 2025 under a deal that saw Hamas hand over 25 living and eight dead hostages during a two-month ceasefire.
David Cunio, 35, another of Ariel’s brothers, was also kidnapped from Nir Oz. David’s wife, Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their then-three-year-old twin daughters, Ema and Yuly, were among the 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. Sharon’s sister, Danielle Aloni, and her daughter, Emilia, were also freed. In February 2025, David’s family said released hostages had told them that they had recently seen him alive.
Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twin brothers, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with their neighbor, Emily Damari. Ziv was held with Emily for 40 days before they were separated. Emily was released in January 2025 during the last ceasefire. Gali and Ziv’s family said they had been informed by other hostages released in early 2025 that they were still alive.
Matan Angrest, 22, an IDF soldier, was in a tank that was attacked near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October. One video showed a crowd pulling him from the tank unconscious and injured. Earlier this year, his family said they had been told by released hostages that he was suffering from chronic asthma, untreated burns, and infections.
Matan Zangauker, 25, was taken with his partner, Ilana Gritzewsky, from Nir Oz. Ilana was released during the November 2023 ceasefire. In December 2024, Hamas released a video showing Matan in captivity. He said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments, shortages of food, water, and medicine.
Eitan Horn, 38, an Israeli-Argentine dual national, was kidnapped along with his elder brother, Yair, from Nir Oz. Yair was freed in February 2025 during the last ceasefire. Hamas released a video at the time showing Eitan and Yair hugging and breaking down in tears ahead of Yair’s release. “Every day we imagined what we’d do if we were freed,” Yair recalled recently.
Nimrod Cohen, 21, was serving as an IDF soldier when his tank was attacked by Hamas at Nahal Oz. In February 2025, his family were told by one of the released hostages that he was still alive in captivity but in poor physical and mental shape. After the new ceasefire was agreed, his mother, Viki, posted on social media: “My child, you are coming home.”
Omri Miran, 48, was abducted from his home in Nahal Oz. His wife, Lishay, said she last saw him being driven away in his own car. She and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma, were not taken with him. In April 2025, Hamas released a video showing Omri marking his 48th birthday. In response, Lishay said: “I always said and I always knew, Omri is a survivor.”
Dozens of people were taken hostage during the attack by Hamas gunmen on the Nova music festival. Among those believed to be still alive in captivity are:
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, attended the festival with his brother, Gal, who said the last time they saw each other was just before Hamas launched its first barrage of rockets into Israel at the start of the attack. Gal evaded the gunmen on the ground, but Guy was kidnapped. Last month, Hamas released a video showing Guy and another hostage, Alon Ohel, being driven around Gaza City in late August as the Israeli military prepared to launch an offensive there.
Alon Ohel, 24, has Israeli, German, and Serbian citizenship. Hamas footage showed him being taken away as a hostage from the Nova festival. Alon was not seen in another video until August 2025, when he was filmed being driven around Gaza City with Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Last month, Alon’s family approved the publication of a still from a new video which they said showed he had gone blind in one eye.
Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25, had been at the festival with a friend, who said they had remained to help people escape the gunfire before running themselves. In May 2025, Hamas published a video showing Yosef and another hostage, Elkana Bohbot. Yosef is seen sitting beside Elkana, who is lying on the ground. An intravenous drip is hooked up to the wall next to Elkana.
Elkana Bohbot, 36, was working at the festival when he was abducted. “In our last conversation on the morning of the massacre at 07:00, I told him, ‘It’s not just missiles, come home,’ and he promised he would return,” his wife, Rikva, said in March 2025. The previous month, Israeli media cited a released hostage as saying Elkana, who has asthma, was being held in inhumane conditions and had developed a severe skin disease.
Avinatan Or, 32, was kidnapped at the festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, but they were immediately separated. Noa and three other hostages were rescued in an Israeli military operation in central Gaza in June 2024. In March 2025, Avinatan’s family said they had received a sign that he was still alive. His British-Israeli mother, Ditza, has said she just wants to put her ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat again.
Eitan Mor, 25, was working as a security guard at the festival. His father, Mor, said he saved dozens of people before being kidnapped by Hamas gunmen. In February 2025, Eitan’s family said they had received a sign of life from him. Three months later, they said a released hostage who spent time with him in a tunnel had told them how he had acted as a “spokesman to the captors” and “lifted everyone’s spirits.”
Maxim Herkin, 37, is an Israel-Russian dual national who was invited to the festival at the last moment. His two friends were among the 378 people killed in the attack. In April 2025, Maxim appeared in a Hamas video along with Bar Kupershtein—the first signs of life from either man since they were taken hostage. The following month, Maxim was seen alone in another video and appeared to be bandaged up. Hamas said this was the result of an Israeli air strike.
Bar Kupershtein, 23, was working at the festival and stayed behind during the attack to help treat casualties. He told his grandmother that he would head home as soon as they were finished. But he was later identified in a video of hostages. They heard no further information about him until April 2025, when he was seen in a video with Maxim Herkin.
Segev Kalfon, 27, was running away from the festival with a friend when he was taken hostage by Hamas gunmen. Two months later, the Israeli military found a video of the abduction. In February 2025, released hostage Ohad Ben Ami told Segev’s father, Kobi, that they had been held captive with four other men in a tunnel in “terrible conditions.”
Evyatar David, 24, was at the festival on the morning of the attacks. He texted the family to say “they are bombarding the party.” His family later received a text from an unknown number containing video footage of Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. In August 2025, Hamas published a video of an emaciated and weak Evyatar in a tunnel. The footage caused outrage in Israel and deep concern among his family. “He’s a human skeleton. He was being starved to the point where he can be dead at any moment,” said his brother, Ilay.
Rom Braslabski, 21, was working on security for the festival. According to an account published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, he was trying to rescue an injured person in the attack when he was caught in a volley of fire. In August 2025, Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a video of Rom, in which he is seen crying as he says he has run out of food and water. He says he is unable to stand or walk and “is at death’s door.” Medical experts said he was suffering from “deliberate, prolonged, and systematic starvation.”
