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A Moral Obligation at a Heavy Price
Since the late 1960s, Israel has released more than 8,500 terrorists in exchange for 160 prisoners of war, hostages and fallen soldiers. A history of deals with the devil
By: Miki Levy
Design: Noam Tamari | Photos: Reuters | January 23, 2025 (Update: February 16)
With additional research from Rawan Abuasly from the internship program at Haifa University’s Media Studies Department
According to the agreement reached between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization for the release of hostages and the gradual end of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Israel will free 30 Palestinian prisoners for every civilian and 50 prisoners for every soldier during the first stage of implementation. This is in addition to releasing Palestinian minors and elderly female prisoners. In the Israeli national discourse, this ratio is seen not only as symbolizing the ethos whereby Israel will do whatever it takes to secure the release of its nationals from the hands of terrorist organizations but as a painful testimony to the heavy price that the country is willing to pay to do so. This ratio has fluctuated over the years, depending on the terror group involved and the nature of the agreement.
A document published in February 2021 by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University collated all of the prisoner- and hostage-exchange deals Israel signed between its establishment in 1948 and the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011, with the focus on agreements with terrorist organizations, starting in the late 1960s.
Shomrim has analyzed the data that appears in that document and added more recent agreements. Here are the details.
Hostages aboard an El Al plane that was hijacked to Algeria
Israelis released: 22
Living prisoners released: 24
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 1
Perpetrators: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Kidnapped Israeli national Shmuel Rosenwasser
Israelis released: 1
Living prisoners released: 1
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 1
Perpetrators: Fatah
Release of kidnapped Israeli reservist Avraham Amram
Israelis released: 1
Living prisoners released: 76
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 76
Perpetrators: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Release of six of eight Nahal soldiers held in Lebanon
Israelis released: 6
Living prisoners released: 97
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 16
Perpetrators: Fatah
Note: The agreement also included the release of 4,400 detainees from the Ansar camp that Israel set up in Lebanon
Release of two remaining Nahal soldiers from Lebanon along with IDF soldier Hezi Shai (Jibril Agreement)
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 1,150
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 383
Perpetrators: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Repatriation of the body of Druze IDF soldier Samir Assad
Israelis repatriated: 1
Living prisoners released: 1
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 1
Perpetrators: Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Yosef Fink and Rachamim Elsheikh
Israelis repatriated: 2
Living prisoners released: 136 males and females
Terrorists’ bodies repatriated: 123
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 130
Perpetrators: Hezbollah
Repatriation of the body of IDF soldier Itamar Iliya, as well as body parts from fallen soldiers Raz Tabbi and Guy Golan
Israelis repatriated: 3
Living prisoners released: 60
Terrorists’ bodies repatriated (including Hassan Nasrallah’s son): 40
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for a single Israeli hostage: 33
Perpetrators: Hezbollah
Release of Israeli national Elhanan Tannenbaum and the repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Adi Avitan, Benny Avraham and Omar Sawaid
Israelis released: 1
Israelis repatriated: 3
Living prisoners released: 436
Terrorists’ bodies repatriated: 59
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for a single Israeli hostage: 123
Perpetrators: Hezbollah
Repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and repatriation of the body of Israeli civilian Gabriel Dwait
Israelis repatriated: 3
Living prisoners released: 6
Terrorists’ bodies repatriated: 200
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for a single Israeli hostage: 68
Perpetrators: Hezbollah
Return of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit
Israelis released: 1
Living prisoners released: 1,046
Number of prisoners released for a single Israeli hostage: 1,046
Perpetrators: Hamas
Return of Israelis and foreigners kidnapped during the October 7 attack
Israelis released: 81
Foreigners released: 24
Living prisoners released: 240
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 2
Perpetrators: Hamas
January 18, 2025
First phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari, and Romy Gonen
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 95
Number of prisoners released for each hostage: 32
Perpetrators: Hamas
January 25, 2025
Second phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag
Israelis released: 4
Living prisoners released: 200
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 50
Perpetrators: Hamas
January 30, 2025
Third phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Agam Berger, Gadi Moses, Arbel Yehud and five Thai agriculture workers
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 110
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 36
Perpetrators: Hamas
February 1, 2025
Fourth phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Yarden Bibas, Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 90
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 30
Perpetrators: Hamas
February 9, 2025
Fifth phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 183
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 61
Perpetrators: Hamas
February 15, 2025
Sixth phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas
Return of Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn
Israelis released: 3
Living prisoners released: 369
Number of prisoners released (and bodies repatriated) for each hostage: 123
Perpetrators: Hamas
Time in Captivity | From Kidnapping to a Deal (in days)
Living hostages = Blue | Fatalities = Red
1968: Hostages aboard an El Al plane that was hijacked to Algeria
39
1971: Kidnapped Israeli national Shmuel Rosenwasser
423
1979: Release of kidnapped Israeli reservist Avraham Amram
340
1983: Release of six of eight Nahal soldiers held in Lebanon
453
1985: Release of two remaining Nahal soldiers from Lebanon along with IDF soldier Hezi Shai (Jibril Agreement)
990
1991: Repatriation of the body of Druze IDF soldier Samir Assad
3,084
1996: Repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Yosef Fink and Rachamim Elsheikh
3,087
1998: Repatriation of the body of IDF soldier Itamar Iliya, as well as body parts from fallen soldiers Raz Tabbi and Guy Golan
296
2004: Release of Israeli national Elhanan Tannenbaum and the repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Adi Avitan, Benny Avraham and Omar Sawaid
1212
2008: Repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and repatriation of the body of Israeli civilian Gabriel Dwait
735
2011: Return of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit
1,941
2023: Return of Israelis and foreigners kidnapped during the October 7 attack
48
2025: Return of Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari, and Romy Gonen in the first phase of Stage A of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
492 (ממוצע)
How Long Did it Take to Get Them Back
Average Time from Kidnap to a Deal (in days)
697
Living hostages
1,644
Fatalities
Terror Organizations and the Price Israel Pays
Distribution of Released Prisoners by Organization
2,116
Hamas
1,250
Popular Front
638
Hezbollah
98
Fatah
Number of Prisoners and Detainees Released for Each Israeli
Live prisoners who were released = Blue
How many terrorists for each hostage = Red
* Deals with the highest number of people released
1979: Release of kidnapped Israeli reservist Avraham Amram
76
76
1983: Release of six of eight Nahal soldiers held in Lebanon
97
16
1985: Release of two remaining Nahal soldiers from Lebanon along with IDF soldier Hezi Shai (Jibril Agreement)
1,150
383
1996: Repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Yosef Fink and Rachamim Elsheikh
136
68
2004: Release of Israeli national Elhanan Tannenbaum and the repatriation of the bodies of IDF soldiers Adi Avitan, Benny Avraham, and Omar Sawaid
436
109
2011: Return of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit
1,046
1,046
2023: Return of Israelis and foreigners kidnapped during the October 7 attack
240
3
2025: First Stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas: the release of 33 civilians and soldiers abducted on October 7
735
40
Sources (data analysis by Shomrim):
Main source (up to the Gilad Shalit deal): International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT, at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University >> Prisoners and MIAs – A Changing Israeli Paradigm >> Oz N., a research fellow on behalf of the Prime Minister's Office >> February 2021
Secondary sources (the agreements over the release of October 7 hostages): Media publications