When the Palestinian fighters led by Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and took about 250 people, it caused an immediate issue.

0 became very important to many Israelis.

The slaves immediately became a symbol of Israel, used to justify Israel’s brutal war on Gaza – which has now killed more than 46,800 Palestinians. But the topic has also divided Israelis, and many, especially those who support the opposition Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuHe insists that the government did not do enough to find an agreement that would lead to his release.

Now that a an armistice agreement agreed, the horrors of captivity could end for those held in Gaza.

How many slaves will be freed in Gaza?

It is believed that there are about 100 Israeli prisoners remaining in Gaza, all of whom are expected to be freed if an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas is reached.

But not all will be released at the same time. In the first six-week phase of the agreement, 33 slaves are expected to be released gradually in order to change. Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israeli prisoners who will be freed in this section include those who are sick or injured, as well as female and male soldiers over 50 years of age.

Egypt says those released in the first phase will be exchanged for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has said it will release 95 Palestinians, all women and children, on the first day of the ceasefire on Sunday.

The rest of those captured, believed to be male soldiers, will be released in future phases of the ceasefire agreement, in exchange for an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners.

What do we know about the captives being freed?

No official list of Israeli prisoners being released in the first phase has been published yet, and while the identities of those still in Gaza are known, it is unclear who is still alive.

In fact, on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire will not begin until Israel receives a list of prisoners to be freed.

Hamas has said that several Israeli hostages were killed when Israel attacked the compound, but videos have also been released with messages from some of the hostages.

Although all of the remaining slaves are Israeli, some are binational, including from the United States, Argentina and Germany.

Five of the hostages are said to be female soldiers who were captured on October 7.

And two of the prisoners expected to be released in the first phase are Israelis who were taken captive in Gaza before October 7, and have spent many years in prison.

What will be the delivery method?

While some prisoners were freed by the Israeli army in military operations that killed many Palestinian civilians, more than 100 – most of them Gaza deserters – were freed in a temporary ceasefire. November 2023.

During the prisoner exchange, the released prisoners were transferred by the Palestinian army to the Red Cross, and handed over to the Israeli army.

Israel has organized medical teams to receive the hostages, and the head of the Hostages Families Forum’s health group, Hagai Levine, expects that many will have heart and respiratory problems after sitting down for so long in the corridor.

How important was their slavery in Israel?

The topic of slavery has been central in Israel and among Israel’s supporters since the beginning of the war.

The liberation of the slaves has been one of the main goals of the Israeli war, but it also contradicts one of the stated goals, the complete defeat of Hamas.

This is because Hamas has offered to free the captives since the start of the war as part of a deal that would end the war, something the Israeli prime minister has refused to do until recently.

In fact, Israel’s far-right Prime Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has announced that he has been able to use his political power to block any agreement reached over the past year, with the goal of defeating Hamas and building it. illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza on top of the release of prisoners in a prisoner exchange. Ben-Gvir is now expected to follow suit on his promise to resign if the agreement is reached.

However, the return of the slaves is the most important thing for many Israelis. Their pictures are displayed on billboards all over Israel, and demands to “bring them home now” are heard regularly at demonstrations. A place in Tel Aviv is also called “Hostages Square”, and it is a place for protests.

The families of the captives have been in constant conflict with the Israeli government, and their advocacy group has vowed to continue to press for the captives’ release. “We will not allow them (right-wing ministers) to destroy the full implementation of the agreement,” a speaker at a ceremony marking the ceasefire agreement said on Saturday.