JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥� Hamas freed six Israelis on Saturday in the last scheduled release of living hostages by the militant group under the current stage of a .
In all, a total of 33 Israelis are being freed during this stage 鈥� including eight who died or were killed in captivity.
With Saturday鈥檚 release, 25 living hostages have now been returned since the ceasefire took effect last month. Five Thai hostages have also been freed separately.
The were returned this week in a transfer that was marred when Hamas , an Israeli mother of abducted by militants. After a tense standoff, her remains were returned and identified early Saturday.
The final four sets of remains are to be returned next week.
Hamas abducted some 250 people in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack . More than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry, which doesn鈥檛 distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Israel is releasing nearly 2,000 prisoners and detainees during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for the hostages.
Here are details on the hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023:
Total captured: 251
Hostages freed in exchanges or other deals: 138
Bodies of dead hostages returned in deals: 4
Hostages still in captivity: 61, of whom Israel has declared 31 to be dead
Hostages in captivity who are soldiers: 13, of whom Israel has declared 7 to be dead
Bodies of deceased hostages retrieved by Israeli troops: 40
Hostages rescued alive: 8
Non-Israelis still in captivity: 5 ( , 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 2 (1 Thai and 1 Nepalese) are believed to still be alive
Separately:
The body of one Israeli soldier has been held in Gaza since before the Oct. 7 attack. He was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.
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