Six more Israeli hostages tasted freedom Saturday marking the end of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement which would see 25 living individuals released. Four of 8 bodies have since been returned with the remaining scheduled for Thursday.

Four of the freed captives were taken during the October 7 massacre: Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, Tal Shoham, 40, and Omer Wenkert, 23. The other two – Avera Mengistu, 39, and Hisham al-Sayed, 36 – had entered Gaza during periods of mental crisis difficulty in 2014 and and 2015 respectively.

Mengistu and Shoham were freed in Rafah, while Cohen, Shem Tov, and Wenkert emerged in Nuseirat. Al-Sayed was handed over separately in Gaza City. Red Cross representatives facilitated the transfers before Israeli special forces took custody of the hostages.

The six were immediately transported to an army facility near Kibbutz Re’im for medical evaluation and emotional reunions with their families. For Shem Tov, survival proved especially remarkable given his celiac disease.

While six families celebrated their loved ones’ return after 505 agonizing days, Israel’s mission to return all the hostages back safely continues. Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza in which Israeli authorities estimate half to be dead.