Responding to the release of six hostages, Israeli President Isaac Herzog posted on X: "On a harrowing morning, as we learned with deep sorrow of the identification of the body of Ariel and Kfir’s dear mother, Shiri Bibas, we take comfort in seeing the return of Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, and Omer Shem Tov after they were brutally taken hostage 505 days ago, along with Avera Mengistu and soon Hisham al-Sayed — a Muslim citizen of Israel — after a decade of captivity in Gaza. They return from the depths of hell to begin the process of healing and recovery alongside their loving families, who fought with all their strength for them.""The completion of a hostage deal is a humanitarian, moral, and Jewish imperative. As we have heard from the testimonies of hostages who have returned in recent weeks, they are in serious humanitarian need, and their immediate return is vital. We must do everything possible to bring back all the hostages from captivity in Gaza— until the very last one!"