Ardmore family confirms 84-year-old relative among latest hostages released by Hamas
Ditza Heiman was taken away from her home on October 7 in a small neighborhood just about 1.5 miles from Gaza.
ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- An 84-year-old woman who has ties to a family in Ardmore, Pennsylvania was one of the 12 Israelis hostages released by Hamas on Tuesday as part of an ongoing cease-fire agreement between the warring sides.
Family members tell Action News that 84-year-old Ditza Heiman was among those released.
The IDF said the hostages were taken through Egypt before heading to a meeting point in Kerem Shalom, in Israel.
SEE ALSO: Pennsylvania family hopes loved one is among next group of hostages released in Israel
Thirty Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for the hostages, according to Qatari officials.
Corey Shdaimah, of Ardmore, has been waiting to hear good news.
Heiman, who is Shdaimah's mother-in-law, was taken away from her home on October 7 in a small neighborhood just about 1.5 miles from Gaza.
A neighbor heard Heiman scream for help and saw Hamas militants put her in a vehicle.
"We were happy to hear there was a truce and that there was going to be a release of the hostages. As a family, we also want peace," Shdaimah told Action News on Monday.
SEE ALSO: Ardmore man believes 84-year-old stepmother was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists
Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their cease-fire until Wednesday, raising the prospect of further exchanges and a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war. Since last Friday, Hamas has released 81 hostages, mostly Israeli nationals, while Israel has freed 180 Palestinian prisoners.
An extended case-fire would also allow more aid into Gaza, which has been battered by weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment and a ground offensive that has driven three out of every four people in Gaza from their homes. The territory is home to 2.3 million people.
But Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas' military capabilities and ending the group's 16-year rule over Gaza. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza into the south.
Roughly 240 hostages were captured by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that ignited the war. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza. About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.
ABC News and the Assoicated Press contributed to this report.
