Hamas names three Israeli hostages due to be freed on Saturday
In the sixth swap since the Gaza ceasefire took hold on 19 January, 369 Palestinians held by Israel will also be released.
Hamas has revealed the names of three Israeli hostages who are set to be freed on Saturday, days after a disagreement between the militant group and Israel threatened to derail the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The three hostages are Sasha Troufanov, 29, Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, and Iair Horn, 46.
They were all taken hostage in Kibbutz Nir Oz more than 16 months ago during the deadly 7 October attacks, in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel.
In a statement on Friday, the Hostages Families Forum welcomed the “joyous news” that the three dual Israeli nationals would be released after almost 500 days in captivity.
The men will be freed in exchange for 369 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
If it goes ahead as planned, it will be the sixth swap since the temporary truce came into effect on 19 January. In the preceding 15 months, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza killed more than 46,000 Palestinians.
A total of 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been released so far during the first phase of the ceasefire, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier this week, Hamas threatened to postpone Saturday’s hostage release, accusing Israel of breaking the terms of their ceasefire agreement. It said not enough tents and shelters were being allowed into the territory.
The Israeli government vowed to resume the war if Hamas did not meet Saturday’s deadline.
Egypt and Qatar are thought to have helped resolve the crisis, with Hamas announcing on Thursday that it would abide by its obligation to release three more Israeli hostages on Saturday.
The second phase of the agreement is likely to be even more fraught than the first, as it calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite end to the fighting.
US President Donald Trump caused global outrage last week when he suggested that Palestinians should be forced to leave Gaza, which could then be turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan and Egypt, were quick to dismiss the idea.
World News || Latest News || U.S. News
Source link
