On the list. Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi, the last two Franco-Israelis still held in Gaza since the attacks of October 7, are among the 33 hostages who must be released in the coming weeks as part of the first phase of the agreement. truce between Israel and Hamas. Information relayed by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on X (formerly Twitter), this Friday January 17 late in the morning.
“The Israeli government informed the families of the 33 hostages concerned this Friday morning,” explains a diplomatic source to Le Parisien. Both families also confirmed to us that they received the news this morning. Those close to Ohad Yahalomi remain very concerned about the state of health of the 49-year-old man, announced dead by Hamas several months ago.
Sacha Ghozlan, lawyer for the Kalderon family in the context of the investigation opened in France by the national anti-terrorism prosecution, speaks of an “unbearable wait”. But also, caution: “The agreement provides that the hostages will be released in groups of three or four, we will only know their identity 24 hours before. It is entirely possible that Ofer and Ohad will be released at the end or that the agreement will be broken in the meantime… This is an extremely fragile process,” the council insists. “The men should not actually go out for two, three or four weeks,” also supports a diplomatic source from Le Parisien, who considers a release on Sunday of the two Franco-Israelis unlikely.
The absence of news, proof of life or the slightest information on their state of health constitutes “psychological torture” for the families, deplores Sacha Ghozlan in the face of this delay. The lawyer, however, is delighted that the President of the Republic has mentioned the fate of our compatriots: “This concerns all French people,” he says.
-Ofer Kalderon (53 years old) and Ohad Yahalomi (49 years old) were kidnapped during the attacks carried out in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 with their respective children in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A carpenter and father of three children, Ofer is described by his ex-wife Hadas as a man “loving and close to his children”. “He transmits very good values to them. Her passion is mountain biking in the mountains,” she told us in November 2023.
For his part, Ohad was an educator on the kibbutz before the attacks. He was injured in the leg when he was shot by a terrorist when he had just left the room where he had hidden with his wife and their three children. Abducted immediately with his son, he was taken to Gaza without receiving treatment, which particularly worries his family.
If Eitan Yahalomi (12 years old), as well as Sahar (16 years old) and Erez Kalderon (12 years old) regained their freedom thanks to the truce of November 2023, their fathers have been detained for more than 15 months. Ohad Yahalomi’s sister, Efrat, will be present this Saturday at the end of the day at Place du Trocadéro, in Paris, during a rally for the release of all the hostages.
