Six Israeli men have been freed on Saturday — the last group of living hostages slated for release during this initial six-week ceasefire.
Among them are two men who have been held for a decade, after wandering into Gaza.
One of the two hostages released in Rafah is Tal Shoham, who was visiting his in-laws at Kibbutz Be'eri when he was abducted on October 7, 2023.
The other is Avera Mengistu, who entered Gaza in 2014.
"Our family has endured 10 years and five months of unimaginable suffering. During this time, there have been continuous efforts to secure his return, with prayers and pleas, some silent, that remained unanswered until today.
"In these moments, we gather in anxious anticipation of the return of our beloved son, brother, and uncle Avera.
"We ask that these moments be respected, and that we be granted the peace and rest we so desperately need," Mr Mengistu's family said in a statement published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
Mr Shoham's family also released a statement to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
"The Shoham, Korngold, and Haran families are moved to welcome Tal back to us. This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together.
"Our Tal is with us. We thank all the people of Israel who stood with us through all the long days of pain and suffering.
"During these days, we need privacy for Tal, Adi, and the children. At this crucial moment in our lives, our only request is to seize this window of opportunity to secure a deal that will bring fathers back to their children — children need their fathers — and return all hostages home: the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for eternal rest. There is a window of opportunity; we must not miss it," the statement said.
Mr Shoham, 40, and Mr Mengistu, 39 — were put into Red Cross ambulances after being brought out onto a stage by masked and armed Hamas fighters in front of a crowd in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The ambulances then headed toward a nearby crossing into Israel.
Watching the handover on Israeli media, Mr Mengistu's family broke out into a Hebrew song, "Here is the Light," as they saw him for the first time in more than a decade.
Mr Shoham's family told Israeli media they were "starting to breathe again" after seeing him on the stage. His wife, two young children, and three other relatives who had been abducted with him were freed in a November 2023 exchange.
Next hostage handover gets underway
A second handover of Israeli hostages took place on Saturday afternoon in central Gaza's Nuseirat locality.
A convoy of International Red Cross vehicles arrived at the location just after 12pm, local time, to receive the hostages.
Israeli media cited IDF sources, saying that Hamas was to handover three hostages at the Nuseirat ceremony.
Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Hisham Al-Sayed, the fourth hostage, had been handed over by 3pm, local time. He was the sixth and final hostage to be released on Saturday altogether.
Arab and Israeli media are reporting the man, who crossed into Gaza in 2015 and whose family says he has suffered from mental illness, was freed without a handover ceremony.
Israel confirmed all six hostages had crossed into the country successfully and been received by the government.
The release will trigger Israeli authorities to free 602 Palestinians from Israeli jails — more than 400 of them were detained since the war in Gaza began.
AP/ABC
