The six Israelis were the last living captives set to be released in the first phase of the cease-fire. The agreement, strained for weeks, has an uncertain future.

Shem Tov, from the Israeli city of Herzliya, was abducted from the Nova music festival with his friends Maya and Itay Regev, former captives who were released in November 2023. He's a passionate musician and DJ, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Hamas is set to free six more Israeli hostages Saturday from the Gaza Strip, but the exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is shadowed by heightened tension between the adversaries that clouds the future of the fragile ceasefire deal.