Hamas on Friday announced the names of the latest Israeli hostages due to be released — as outrage mounted over the terror group admitting it hadn’t released dead mom Shiri Bibas, despite making a despicable spectacle of coffins claiming to contain her and her young kids.
The six living hostages to be released Saturday were identified as Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office confirmed that the hostages’ families have been notified of their imminent release, according to The Times of Israel.
Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed are both civilians who have been held captive for more than a decade. They were kidnapped in after crossing into the Palestinian enclave by themselves.
Israel said both men were suffering from mental health issues at the time.
The other hostages were all captured on Oct. 7, 2023.
The six will be the last living hostages returned to Israel in the first phase of the shaky cease-fire deal, Hamas said.
On Thursday, Hamas returned the remains of Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage who was just 9-months old when he was abducted, along with his brother, Ariel, who was taken when he was just 4, and Oded Lifshitz, 84.
They also handed over a coffin purportedly containing the body of the Bibas boys’ mother, Shiri, 33 — however Israeli officials determined that the remains were not hers, but that of another woman.
“This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is required by the agreement to return four dead hostages,” the IDF said.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have so far handed over 24 living hostages and three bodies, according to The Telegraph.
Phase one of the cease-fire concludes on March 2.
The second and third phases focused on freeing the remaining 59 hostages and establishing a permanent end to the war.
