Hamas issued an official statement Monday evening confirming that the next phase of hostage releases will take place on Saturday, and not Sunday as previously reported. The clarification follows reports that Hamas delayed the release until Sunday, in response to an alleged delay by Israel in releasing prisoners on Sunday.
Following the release of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, 94 hostages remain in Hamas hands. Among them are seven women: civilians Arbel Yehoud and Shiri Bibas, as well as soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag, Agam Berger and Naama Levy. Over the next 41 days, 30 more hostages are expected to be released.
The next release, scheduled for Saturday, will concern four hostages, some of whom will be soldiers. The fate of Shiri Bibas and her children Kfir and Ariel remains uncertain as to the phase of their release. The names of the hostages to be released during each phase will be communicated the day before.
-On the 42nd day of the agreement, 14 hostages are expected to be released. Negotiations regarding subsequent phases of the agreement are scheduled to begin on the 16th day. After the first phase, which will see the release of a total of 33 hostages, 64 people will remain captive of Hamas.
In exchange for the 33 hostages in this first phase, Israel should release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 1,000 Gazans captured in Gaza after October 7, 2023 and not involved in the Hamas massacre, as well as around 290 terrorists sentenced to death. life imprisonment.
