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Yehuda Cohen, the father of abducted soldier Nimrod Cohen, said on Wednesday that he received a message from his son through a relative of one of the recently released hostages. "I’m OK, don’t worry, I love you," Nimrod conveyed through the freed hostage. Nimrod is not expected to be released during the first stage of the deal.
In an interview with Ynet last month, Yehuda shared: "Over a year ago, we met with two pilots who had been released from captivity in Egyptian and Syrian prisons. They told us that while they were in captivity, they worried about their families worrying about them," he recounted. "I believe this is also the case with Nimrod. Nimrod was with two of the hostages who were released in one of the last rounds — it gives us some insight into the conditions in which he is being held. They walked on their own feet, which gives me hope that my son will return to us in the same way. I know him; he’s young and strong. I trust him to hold on and endure."
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The father added: "I know there are hostages who are chained and have been abused. As for Nimrod, I know he doesn’t see daylight and is restricted in terms of food. As long as Hamas has an interest in returning them to us looking well, they will take care of them — for appearances sake. Hamas has more of an interest in keeping them alive than Netanyahu does. They’re not keeping them for humanitarian reasons but because they have a high price — they’ll get more prisoners in exchange for them."
As the first stage of the hostage deal nears its conclusion, the families of those still in captivity are increasingly concerned about delays in negotiations for the next phase. "We must accelerate efforts and bring everyone home in one phase. We cannot allow this reality to become routine. Every passing day feels like an eternity for those who are still there," said Vered Ben Baruch, the grandmother of abducted soldier Idan Alexander, with deep pain.
On Saturday, the following hostages are expected to be released: Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed. Prior to that, on Thursday, the bodies four killed hostages are expected to be released. The remaining four hostages, believed to be dead, from the first stage will be released next week. By the end of the first stage, 59 hostages will remain in captivity, including at least 28 killed hostages.