Hamas published on Friday the names of Israeli “four soldiers” to be released on Saturday, as part of a second series of exchanges with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in accordance with the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip.
“As part of the exchange of prisoners, the brigades (Ezzedine) al-Qassam decided to release (Saturday) four soldiers,” said Abou Obeida, spokesperson for the Hamas branch, on Telegram on Friday.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed in the process that he had received, via the mediators, a “hostage list” liberable without further details.
Israel simultaneously announced that he would not withdraw from southern Lebanon on Sunday, as stipulated in the cease-fire agreement signed with Beirut at the end of November to end two months of open war with Hezbollah.
The four hostages, retained in Gaza since October 7, 2023, must be exchanged for an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
-“The al-Qassam brigades and other groups (…) will release the four prisoners on Saturday” and entrust them to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said a source close to Hamas on condition of anonymity , without time precision.
The first phase of the current truce, which is due to last six weeks and started on Sunday, should allow the release of 33 hostages against some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Families in doubt
Three young women who have already been released last weekend, in exchange for the 90 Palestinian prison release, there will then remain 26 liberatable hostages on this first phase. The names were communicated but without chronological liberation order.
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