As negotiation teams prepare for talks in Cairo on U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza plan, which calls for the release of all hostages and an end to the war, 48 Israeli families are waiting anxiously for a dramatic update about their loved ones. Nearly two years after the October 7 massacre, 48 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Of them, 22 are believed to be alive, including two whose lives are feared to be in grave danger. The others are presumed dead.
Unlike previous deals or proposals discussed in recent months, Trump’s plan demands the release of all hostages, both living and deceased, within 72 hours. Hamas has said such a timeline is impossible, and negotiators are expected to debate the timeframe during the Cairo talks, which will begin Monday with delegations from Israel, the United States and Hamas.
The Israeli team includes Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, hostage affairs coordinator Gal Hirsch, a senior Shin Bet deputy, retired Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who leads the intelligence effort on hostages, and representatives from the IDF and Mossad. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night that he hopes “during the Sukkot holiday we will be able to announce the return of all our hostages.”
These are the 48 men and women still held in Hamas captivity after 730 days in Gaza:
Alon Ohel
Alon Ohel, 24, from the northern community of Lavon, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. A talented pianist and musician, Alon had planned to study jazz at the Rimon School of Music and move to Tel Aviv.
For months his family relied on testimonies from survivors, as Hamas released no footage of him. In June 2024, Hamas published a video showing Alon alongside three others hiding in the now-infamous “death shelter.” A later analysis suggested he had lost sight in his right eye. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Hamas released another video, the first in which Alon spoke to the camera since his abduction.
Guy Gilboa Dalal
Guy Gilboa Dalal, 24, from Kfar Saba, was also at the Nova festival with his brother, who survived. He was filmed that morning inside Gaza alongside another hostage, Evyatar David. In a recent video message, Guy pleaded: “All we want is for this to end. We want to go home to our families. Please, bring us back.”
Evyatar David
Evyatar David, 24, from Kfar Saba, vanished after texting his mother on the morning of October 7. He and Guy Dalal were later seen together in Gaza. His most recent video, released in August, showed him weak and malnourished, speaking from a tunnel. “I barely eat. There is no meat, no bread, almost nothing,” he said. His current condition is unknown.
Rom Braslavsky
Rom Braslavsky, 21, from Jerusalem, worked as a security guard at the Nova festival. Witnesses said he helped rescue wounded concertgoers under fire. A video released in April by Islamic Jihad showed him in deteriorating health, pleading, “Prime Minister, get me out. Trump, where are you?” His parents later said he looked close to death.
Yosef-Chaim Ohana
Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 24, from Kiryat Malakhi, was kidnapped while helping the injured. In a May video, he shouted in anguish: “How is this war still going? It’s time to stop.” Survivors confirmed that he was alive earlier this year, though his current status is unclear.
Avinatan Or
Avinatan Or, 32, from Tel Aviv, was abducted along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, in a widely circulated video showing the two being separated by Hamas fighters. He worked for the tech company Nvidia. A video message released in March showed him alive but weak. His brother said, “Our goal is to get Avinatan home, not just proof of life.”
Matan Angrest
Matan Angrest, 22, a tank crewman from Kiryat Bialik, was captured while wounded and unconscious at Nahal Oz. His March video message appealed to the Israeli public and leaders: “Take to the streets. Don’t give up on us.”
Ziv and Gali Berman
Twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, 27, from Kfar Aza, were kidnapped separately from their homes. Their family received confirmation in February that both were alive, though held apart. Survivors described their conditions as “life-threatening.” On October 7, Gali Berman insisted on going to the home of Emily Damari, a friend who was alone at the time. Damari, who was also kidnapped that day, was later freed in a previous hostage deal and has since been campaigning for the release of the Berman twins.
Elkana Bochbot
Elkana Buchbut, 36, from Mevasseret Zion, was part of the Nova festival production team. Married with a young son, he stayed behind to help the wounded. His wife said, “He could have run, but he chose to save others.” His last known video showed him lying on a thin mattress beside a photo of his son.
Eitan Horn
Eitan Horn, 38, from Kfar Saba, was kidnapped from Nir Oz with his brother, who has since been released. Eitan, who grew up in Argentina and immigrated to Israel at 16, is affectionately called Eitu by his family. He worked as a youth counselor in kibbutzim, served as a counselor for youth programs abroad, and worked as a Jewish Agency emissary and NALA instructor. In a March video, Eitan was seen saying goodbye to his brother, urging negotiators not to abandon families divided by captivity.
Maxim Herkin
Maxim Herkin, 36, from Tirat Carmel, was taken from the Nova festival. His family holds Russian citizenship and appealed to Moscow for help. In a video released in April, Maksim said, “We are dying here with a pulse. We no longer feel human.”
Nimrod Cohen
Corporal Nimrod Cohen, 21, was captured from his tank near Nir Oz. On the day of the massacre, Nimrod’s parents saw the video of his tank crew’s abduction. His father said he saw Nimrod leaning against the gun barrel. “Those were horrific hours,” they said. His family later recognized his arm tattoo in a blurred Hamas video. Since then, his family has released new footage from the moments of his abduction, showing him being taken by the terrorists into Gaza as they tell him he will return one day.
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His face was blurred, but Nimrod was identified in the hostage video by the tattoo on his arm
Segev Kalfon
Segev Kalfon, 27, from Dimona, was kidnapped from the Nova festival. Survivors who returned from captivity said his condition was dire. His mother said, “He was held in the harshest conditions. He barely slept and suffered mentally.” A first proof of life from him was received last February.
Eitan Mor
Eitan Mor, 25, from Jerusalem, worked as a security guard at the festival. On the morning of the terror attack, as Hamas gunmen stormed the festival and began shooting in all directions, Eitan tried to escape the area. The last testimony about him came from one of the survivors, who said he saw Eitan and a friend carrying the bodies of two young women to safety. No video of him has been released, but survivors confirmed he acted as a spokesman for other hostages during captivity.
Omri Miran
Omri Miran, 48, from Nir Oz, was kidnapped in front of his wife and daughters. Five Hamas gunmen and a teenager, Tomer Arava-Eliaz, whom they forced to join them, entered the family’s home and led them to the neighbors, the Idan family. The gunmen then took all the men at gunpoint. Omri’s older daughter, Roni, ran after him shouting, “Dad, Dad, my dad!” His wife, Lishi, held her back and told him, “Omri, I love you. Take care of yourself and don’t be a hero.” In a video released this April, timed with Holocaust Remembrance Day, he appeared exhausted and said, “I miss my children and my wife. It’s unbearable.”
Matan Zangauker
Matan Zangauker, 25, from Nir Oz, was abducted with his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was later released. His last video message captured by the IDF showed him saying, “Don’t abandon us. Make noise until we come home.” After the release of Idan Alexander, his mother, Einav, said she had received proof of life from him. “Matan is still alive,” she said emotionally at the time.
Ariel and David Cunio
Brothers Ariel, 28, and David, 35, from Nir Oz, were both kidnapped with their families. On October 7, David held the safe room door shut in their home for five hours while Hamas gunmen tried to break it open. David’s wife and daughters were released after 52 days. Ariel’s partner, Arbel Yehoud, was freed in a previous deal. Both men remain in Gaza, with David confirmed alive earlier this year. Ariel is the only one among the 20 hostages classified as alive from whom no proof of life has been received so far.
Bar Kuperstein
Bar Kuperstein, 23, was a security guard at the Nova festival. In an April video with Maxim Herkin, both said, “We are dying here with a pulse.” Bar’s father, Tal, was injured in a car accident and became disabled. Since the kidnapping, he has fought tirelessly for his son’s return and recently regained the ability to speak. “He helped the wounded when the terrorists arrived,” Tal said. “He drove back into the fire four times on a ranger. He could have escaped but chose to return to the chaos. He took weapons from fallen police officers and fought the terrorists.”
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Bar Kuperstein alongside Maxim Herkin, April
(Photo: Hostages' Families Headquarters)
Two hostages are listed as being in grave danger:
Tamir Nimrodi
Tamir Nimrodi was kidnapped from the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration base where he served, one month before his 19th birthday, along with two of his comrades, Ron Sherman and Nick Beizer, who were later returned to Israel for burial. His family saw footage of his abduction showing him being led on foot, barefoot and in pajamas. Tamir is classified as a hostage whose life is in danger. Since his abduction on October 7, no proof-of-life video or message has been received. Four months ago, his father, Alon, said that Tamir is believed to be the hostage whose condition is most critical. “That didn’t come from an official source,” he said, “it’s simply because there has been no sign of life from him since October 7.”
Bipin Joshi
Bipin Joshi, 24, from Nepal, was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Alumim. At the start of the attack, he hid with his friends in a shelter on the kibbutz. When Hamas terrorists threw the first grenade inside, he managed to push it out before it exploded. A second grenade left him and his friends unconscious. He was then taken into Gaza along with several Thai agricultural workers.
After the kidnapping, Bipin was filmed alive at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, being led by Hamas gunmen. In May, Israel confirmed there were serious concerns for his life. About two months ago, his family arrived in Israel, and his sister spoke at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
The fallen held in Gaza
Alongside the 22 believed alive, Hamas still holds the bodies of 26 hostages, including Lt. Col. Asaf Hamami, Capt. Omer Naotera, and Inbar Hayman, the only woman among them.
Unlike previous multi-stage exchanges, the proposed U.S. plan calls for the release of all hostages—living and dead—in a single phase. If agreed upon, it would mark the first time every remaining hostage is included in one unified deal.