War between Israel and Hamas: Latest information on hostages in the Gaza Strip

Here is what we know about the four hostages who were returned to Israel.

Noa Argamani

Noa Argamani, 26, was taken hostage in the attack on October 7 along with her boyfriend Avinatan Or. Footage circulating online shows Ms Argamani being taken to Gaza on the back of a motorbike as she screamed in despair.

Ms Argamani and her boyfriend were kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where militants were committing brutal atrocities against partygoers.

The fate of Ms Argamani attracted extraordinary attention, partly because her mother Liora is suffering from brain cancer and her condition has deteriorated significantly in recent months.

“I don’t know how much time I have left,” the mother said last year. “I want to see my Noa at home.”

Andrei Kozlov

Andrey Kozlov, 27, was working as a security guard at the music festival when he was arrested. He had recently immigrated to Israel from Russia and lived in Rishon Lezion, a city in central Israel.

In January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov called on Hamas officials to release civilians captured in the October 7 attack, including Mr Kozlov and two other Russian citizens, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

Footage shared on social media on Saturday showed Mr Kozlov smiling as he was escorted by troops from a military helicopter.

Almog Meir Jan

Almog Meir Jan, 22, was kidnapped one day before he was scheduled to start work at a technology company, according to the Hostage Families Forum.

In December, Sky News broadcast an interview with his mother, Orit, who said her son called her at 7:45 a.m. on October 7 and described the chaotic scenes at the festival site.

“Mom, they’ve ended the festival,” she remembered him saying. “There are rockets and gunfire everywhere.”

On Saturday, footage of Meir Jan’s family celebrating the news of his freedom was shared on social media. “I am so excited,” his mother said.

Shlomi Ziv

Shlomi Ziv, 41, worked as a security guard at the festival. According to the Hostage Families Forum, he lives in Elkosh, a community in northern Israel, where he lived with his wife Miran.

Last year, Ms. Ziv said she was sure her husband would return and she was already preparing for the challenges of welcoming someone who had spent months in captivity.

“We are going to take in a person who we don’t know what he saw, what he experienced, what he knows and what he doesn’t know,” she told Seven10Stories, an initiative that has collected testimonials from survivors of October 7. “It’s not going to be easy.”