President Isaac Herzog says in a statement on the hostages’ release: “On this heartbreaking morning, in which we received the painful news of the identification of Shiri [Bibas]’s body, we are glad to see Omer Wenkert, Elia Cohen, Tal Shohem and Omer Shem Tov after 505 days, as well as Avera Mengistu after more than a decade, and soon, Hisham al-Sayed as well.
“They are all returning from the depths of hell to their beloved families, who fought with all their might to see them home.”
He calls on Israel to continue to a second phase of the deal.
“The completion of a hostage deal is a humane, moral and Jewish act. As we have heard from the testimonies of hostages who have returned in recent weeks — they are all in a ‘humanitarian’ condition that requires us to bring them back immediately.”
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