What We Know About the Hostage Release

The cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas this week sets in motion the release of dozens of hostages that Hamas and its allies have been holding in Gaza since the start of the war more than a year ago.

About 100 hostages, living and dead, are thought to be held captive in Gaza. Most of them were seized when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in an attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage.

According to the deal, 33 of those remaining hostages will be released during an initial six-week phase of the cease-fire, the first major release since a weeklong truce in November 2023. In exchange, Israel will release more than 1,000 imprisoned Palestinians.

The first hostage-for-prisoner swap will begin no earlier than 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to the deal. Here is what else we know about how the plan foresees their release.

Who are the hostages being released?

The 33 hostages who will be released in the first phase include female soldiers and civilians, children, men over 50 and sick and wounded “humanitarian” cases.

The hostages who fit that profile include young female soldiers abducted from a military base; older men dragged from border villages near the Gaza Strip; and two young children, one of whom was less than a year old during the Hamas-led attack.

Israeli officials estimate that around 35 of the total remaining captives in Gaza are dead. But the captives have been held incommunicado for over a year, making assessing their condition difficult.

In a televised address on Saturday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said “most” of the 33 hostages who will be freed under the agreement were believed to be alive. The living hostages will be freed first, according to the agreement, after which Hamas will send bodies in the sixth and final week of the initial truce.

How will the release work?

The releases will be staggered, according to the plan. On the first day, Hamas will release three female living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On the seventh day, four female living hostages will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

From the 14th day through the fifth week of the agreement, Palestinian prisoners will be released every seven days in exchange for three male and female hostages.

The remaining hostages agreed to in the first phase will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the sixth week.

Also during the sixth week, once all 33 hostages have been freed and returned to Israel, Israel will release 47 prisoners who were rearrested after being released in a 2011 deal that saw over 1,000 Palestinians freed in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Israeli authorities have established three reception points to receive the hostages along the Gaza border, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with protocol. Those reception points will be staffed by Israeli soldiers, doctors and psychologists, said the official.

How many Palestinian prisoners will be freed?

Over 1,000 — meaning the initial deal will likely become one of the largest prisoner exchanges in Israeli history if completed.

Dozens of Palestinians held in Israel will be released for each hostage in the initial six week phase, including some serving life sentences.

The deal outlines the criteria of the hostage-for-prisoner swap. According to the agreement, the release of a living female hostage or civilian under the age of 18 requires the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners who are women or minors.

The two sides will swap each Israeli civilian man who is 50 or older and is alive for 30 Palestinian prisoners. An Israeli female soldier who is alive requires the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for nine Israeli male civilians who are wounded or sick.

Israel will also release around 1,000 Gazans who were detained over the course of the war, on the condition that they did not participate in the Hamas-led attack in October 2023.

How many hostages have already been released?

Some 105 hostages — mostly women and children — were freed in November 2023 during a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners in Israeli jails.

Early in the war, Hamas unilaterally released four hostages — two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women. Israel has also managed to free eight hostages in military operations, at least one of which was accompanied by devastating bombing and high Palestinian casualties.

The bodies of more than 35 others were brought back to Israel in various operations over the course of the war, according to the Israeli government.

How many hostages left in Gaza are Americans?

In a speech on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said seven Americans were still being held captive. Edan Alexander and Sagui Dekel-Chen were believed to be alive as of December, according to the American Jewish Committee.

A few of the remaining five were declared dead early in the war. Their bodies remain in Gaza.

Ephrat Livni contributed reporting.