British hostage 'to be among 33 captives freed' in first stage of Gaza deal as time set for ceasefire start on Sunday

18 January 2025, 07:37 | Updated: 18 January 2025, 09:42

The last remaining British hostage is set to be among the 33 captives freed in the first stage of the ceasefire deal, which is set to come in force on Sunday morning at 8.30am local time.

Emily Damari, 28, will be among those freed, according to multiple reports in Israeli media, after being taken by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Azaon in the October 7 attacks in 2023.

The 33 hostages to be freed first are understood to be women, children, men over 50, and sick or wounded people.

The overall agreement involves the exchange of the remaining hostages who were seized in the attacks with Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli. It is unclear how many are still alive.

The deal was agreed in an Israeli cabinet meeting that lasted for more than six hours. Qatar, who mediated the deal, said this morning that the deal would come in force at 8.30am on Sunday morning local time (6.30am UK time.)

The six-week ceasefire was bitterly opposed by some hardline politicians.

Ms Damari's mother Mandy welcomed the news of her daughter's release, but said she was not getting ahead of herself. 

“My nightmare is still going on until I see Emily and all the other 98 hostages back in Israel with their families,” she said.

Under the agreement, 33 Israeli hostages who have been held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months will be swapped for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The 33 to be freed first are: Liri Albag, Itzhak Elgarat, Karina Ariev, Ohad Ben Ami, Ariel Bibas, Yarden Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Agam Berger, Gonen Romi, Daniella Gilboa, Emily Damari, Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Alexandre Sasha Troufanov, Arbel Yehoud, Ohad Yahalomi, Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Naama Levy, Oded Lifshitz, Gadi Moshe Mozes, Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, Shlomo Mantzur , Keith Samuel Sigal, Tsachi Idan, Ofer Kalderon, Tal Shoham, Doron Steinbrecher, Omer Shem Tov, Hisham Al-Sayed and Eli Sharabi.

This exchange will take place in the first phase, which will last six weeks.

During this phase, Israeli forces will also pull back from heavily populated areas in Gaza, displaced Palestinians will be allowed to start returning to their homes, and hundreds of aid trucks will be permitted to enter the territory each day.

Negotiations for the second phase—aiming for the release of the remaining hostages, a full Israeli troop withdrawal, and the restoration of long-term peace—will begin on the 16th day.

The third and final phase will focus on rebuilding Gaza, a process that could take years, as well as returning the bodies of any remaining hostages.

Many Israelis support a ceasefire deal that would bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza.

But some families of fallen soldiers and of hostages oppose any agreement that they perceive grants too many concessions to Hamas.

Keir Starmer welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal as "long-overdue news" and paid tribute to British citizens who were killed during the conflict.

The UK Prime Minister said Britain would join its allies in continuing work to "break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace" for Israelis and Palestinians, which he said would be grounded in a two-state solution.

He paid tribute to "those who won't make it home - including the British people who were murdered by Hamas."

Some 34 hostages have been confirmed dead by the IDF.

Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, said the worry will persist "until the last hostage is home".

Ms Svatitzky, whose mother Channah Peri was previously taken as a hostage, said from Israel: "There will never be any closure for us until all the hostages are back."

Stephen Brisley, whose sister Lianne Sharabi was killed with her daughters Noiya and Yahel, refuses to get carried away after "so many false dawns".

Mr Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi was taken hostage, told PA: "It's still difficult to believe that it's happening. Because there have been so many false dawns, there's still that part of me that isn't really allowing myself to believe it still, despite the fact that it's been formally announced.

"We still don't know exactly what the framework of it is, exactly what the rate is they'll be released, in what order, and if it is spread out over the course of six weeks. Six weeks is a long time, a lot can happen.

"There are still many moving parts that could very easily fall apart but, obviously, it is that bit of joy that we've been looking for, that light at the end of the tunnel."

He admitted he was unsure whether his brother-in-law was still alive.

Speaking about a potential reunion with Mr Sharabi, he added: "It's bittersweet - we don't know whether he knows that my sister, my two nieces, his wife and two daughters are dead.

"My concern is that the hope of being reunited with them is what's been keeping him going and nourishing him for the last 14 months, and finding out that he's coming back to nothing is what could break him.

"I just want to be able to put my arms around him and tell him that he'll be OK, and (that) he can carry on, because him coming out alive and rebuilding his life, and us helping him to rebuild his life, is the one crumb of comfort that our family has been holding on to."

British Palestinian Committee's Dr Sara Husseini on the ceasefire

The ceasefire willl not see Israel withdraw from Gaza.

Instead, a new buffer zone will be erected where the IDF stations troops to “defend” the country’s border.

At least 46,584 Palestinian people have been killed and 109,731 injured since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks in 2023.

The vast majority of those killed in Israel’s bombardments have been women and children.