"Joy immeasurable"
After hoping and waiting: Tal Shoham finally free!
Hamas handed over two hostages to Israel in the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. Among those released is the Austrian Tal Shoham, who had been held captive in the Palestinian territory for over 16 months. The family said in an official statement: "The joy and relief we feel are immeasurable. After 504 days of uncertainty about Tal's fate, we can now slowly begin to pick up the pieces of our lives and heal."
On Saturday, two more hostages were released for the time being as part of the agreement between Israel and the Islamist organization in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. They are the Austrian Tal Shoham and long-term hostage Avera Mengistu.
"Only minutes separate us"
The family said in an initial statement ahead of the long-awaited reunion: "We have seen that Tal is in good health according to the circumstances. A tremendous burden falls from our hearts. Only minutes separate us from the moment when we can welcome him back into the security of our family." (Read the family's statement following Tal's release below)
Hospitalized after reunion
After the handover, the men were taken to a nearby Israeli army base, where they saw their families again for the first time. They were then flown to hospitals in the center of the country.
Pictures of the release of Tal Shoham:
In addition to the Austro-Israeli family father Shoham and Mengistu, the three young Israelis kidnapped from the Nova Festival, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen fei. The long-term hostage Hisham al-Sayed is expected to be released later in the day.
Video from Saturday morning: Hamas prepares to release six live Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip
Exchange for high-ranking Hamas members
Sayed and Mengistu had both been held in the Gaza Strip for around ten years. The men, described as mentally ill, had entered the territory in 2015 and 2014 respectively. Around 50 senior Hamas members are said to be among the Palestinians who were released in return.
"Relieved and overjoyed"
The Foreign Ministry in Vienna expressed its relief at Shoham's release. They had "worried, hoped and waited with the family for 504 days. We are incredibly relieved and overjoyed that Tal Shoham has finally been released and can now return to his family. We wish Tal and his loved ones that they can come to terms with what they have suffered together, away from the public eye," it said in a statement on Saturday.
Since October 7, 2023, Austria has worked intensively at all political and diplomatic levels as well as in the security sector to secure the release of Shoham and the other hostages. Federal Chancellor and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and his predecessor Karl Nehammer (both ÖVP) had been in close, trusting contact with partners from the region. Austria would like to thank all its partners, in particular Qatar, Egypt and the USA, for their close cooperation, the Foreign Ministry added.
Green Party leader Werner Kogler also expressed his relief in a statement. "It is a huge relief that, among the Hamas hostages released today, Tal Shoham, an Austrian-Israeli citizen, has finally been set free again after almost a year and a half in Hamas tunnels. There is great joy at his return. A heartfelt thank you to the family, friends and relatives who never gave up during this difficult time, and to Karl Nehammer and Alexander Schallenberg for their tireless efforts," said Kogler.
Tal Shoham held hostage for over 504 days
Shoham survived an incredible 504 days in captivity. He was one of around 250 hostages kidnapped by Hamas from Israel on October 7, 2023.
Tal and several family members were abducted from a house in Be'eri (see video above), which is now in ruins.
Wife and children were released in November
Tal's wife Adi and their two young children, Naveh and Yahel, who are German citizens, as well as other relatives such as mother-in-law Shoshan, were released on November 25, 2023. Since then, they have been hoping and fearing for their husband and father.
Today at 12.05 pm, after 505 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip - that's over 40 million infinite seconds in hostage time - we were finally able to bring our son, husband and father, Tal Shoham, back safe and sound to the warmth of his family at the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military base. The joy and relief we feel is immeasurable.
After the tragic events of October 7, in which three of our family members were murdered, after 50 days in which eight of us - including our young children Naveh (8) and Yahel (4) - were held hostage in Gaza itself, and after over 500 days of uncertainty about Tal's fate, we can now slowly begin to pick up the pieces of our lives, to heal, but also to finally find the peace to mourn for our losses.
We are eternally grateful to Austria for the incredible support we have received during this time. Our special thanks go to former Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, current Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, Special Envoy Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the Austrian Ambassador to Israel, Nikolaus Lutterotti, together with all their dedicated colleagues worldwide, and last but not least Pope Francis, whom we would like to take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery. Their personal and tireless efforts have been instrumental in making this day possible.
We would also like to thank the Austrian media and all the individual journalists we have spoken to over the last few months who have covered our story and ensured that Tal has not been forgotten over the last 500 days.
While we are overjoyed to have Tal back with us, we are painfully aware that many families in Israel are still waiting for the return of their loved ones, including fathers with young children. We feel their pain, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. We will continue to support their struggle until every hostage returns home. Their fight remains our fight.
And while we understand the legitimate public interest and are deeply touched by the overwhelming support of so many people, our focus in the coming hours and days will be on Tal's well-being and recovery. We therefore respectfully request privacy as we take these first steps back together as a family and will be available to the public as soon as we are able. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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