Hungarian-Israeli girls excluded from Hamas hostage release

A ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will come into effect on Friday morning and will be followed by the release of 13 hostages in the afternoon. Despite growing optimism surrounding the hostage release in Gaza, a despairing piece of information has surfaced.

Hungarian hostages among those potentially released

As we wrote earlier, there had been an update on the situation involving the Hungarian hostages held by Hamas. In Zürich, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that three out of the five captives might be among the initial group released as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The details emerged on Wednesday, raising hopes for the safe return of some hostages amidst the conflict.

However, hope is fading because of a revelation, HVG reports. Maayan Zin, the mother of the Hungarian-Israeli dual-citizen girls (Ela and Dafna) has recently shared a post on X. She stated that her daughters are not included in the list of 13 Israeli hostages set to be released on Friday. This disclosure leaves the fate of the girls uncertain as the ceasefire comes into effect.

I’ve been informed that Dafna and Ela are not on the list of the 13 hostages to be released tomorrow. This is incredibly difficult for me; I long for their return. I’m relieved for the other families and hopeful for the release of all the hostages.

she wrote.

Maayan Zin, expressed the tremendous difficulty she is facing while awaiting the return of her daughters. Despite her personal challenges, she also shared a sense of relief for the families of the hostages. Additionally, she expressed hope for the eventual freedom of all those held captive by Hamas.

Terms of the truce deal and release plans

In late October, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that Hamas gunmen kidnapped two Hungarian-Israeli children, Ela (8) and Dafna (15). It occurred during an unexpected incursion into Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October. Tragically, the abductors murdered the girls’ father on the spot. Since then, Hamas has held them hostage, adding a tragic dimension to the ongoing conflict.

The ceasefire in Gaza is scheduled to commence on Friday morning, 22 November. Hamas has committed to releasing the first batch of hostages at 4 p.m. on the same day, with the Red Cross facilitating the transfer of the released hostages. The initial release involves 13 hostages, with Hamas agreeing to release a total of 50 Israeli hostages over the course of the four-day truce.

As we know from the information of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Hamas is holding a total of five individuals with Hungarian citizenship hostage. Although Minister Szijjártó had previously expressed hope for the release of three Hungarian hostages, he also acknowledged the absence of guarantees. The unfolding situation underscores the complexity and challenges involved in negotiating the release of hostages amidst the ongoing conflict in the region. The fate of the Hungarian hostages remains uncertain, adding to the heightened emotions surrounding the ceasefire agreement. You can find our articles of the Israeli-Palestinian war HERE.

Source: HVG