Prior to the formal surrender of Damietta, the two sides would maintain hostages, among them John of Brienne and Hermann of Salza for the Franks side and a son of al-Kamil for Egypt.
In the lead-up to the official surrender of Damietta, each side would hold prisoners, including John of Brienne and Hermann of Salza as representatives of the Frankish forces, and a son of al-Kamil as an Egyptian captive, revealing the human cost of the conflict.