On Politics

Mon Nov 27 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hello OnPolitics readers. Hostages are beginning to be released by Hamas under a cease-fire deal, and their families have started sharing details about what they experienced.

"She was in complete darkness," Eyal Nouri said of his aunt, Adina Moshe. "And during her captivity, she was disconnected… from all the outside world."

What's happening with the truce? An initial four-day agreement that opened the door for the release of scores of militant-held hostages and Israeli-held prisoners is expected to be extended by another two days, Hamas, Qatari and Egyptian officials said Monday.

Nearly 60 hostages have been released since Friday, along with groups of Palestinians from Israeli prisons, with the focus on women and children.

Those hostages released Friday included three relatives of Merav Raviv, who said her cousin and aunt each had lost around 15 pounds during their captivity. They were fed irregularly, mostly rice and bread.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, a hostage who was released last month before the current cease-fire, told reporters the day after her release at a Tel Aviv hospital: "I went through hell."