Hamas said on Friday it will release four female soldiers who have been imprisoned for more than a year in Gaza, as part of a prisoner exchange to be carried out on Saturday, as Israelis and Palestinians eagerly await the next steps in the deal.
In a statement, Hamas named four women, who were kidnapped from a military base near Gaza during the attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 that started the war. Israel said mediators between the two sides had passed on a list of hostages scheduled to be released on Saturday, without confirming their identities.
Mediators hope that a six-week deal between Israel and Hamas, which began on Sunday, could lay the groundwork for a permanent end to the war in Gaza. But next weekend could prove a crucial test of the deal.
Under the terms of the deal, Israel is expected to release about 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the four women kidnapped on Saturday, including those serving life sentences for involvement in Israeli attacks.
The deal also stipulated that in connection with the release of the four hostages, Israeli forces would have to withdraw from a large swath of central Gaza to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to begin returning to their homes in the devastated north.
And Hamas also committed to providing Israel on Saturday with information about the status of the remaining hostages to be released during the six-week truce, said two Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.
Israel has long wanted to know which hostages were still alive more than 15 months after they were captured in Gaza. Hamas has refused to provide this information, with some officials complaining that they could not even confirm their position before the peace agreement allowed the warring parties to move and communicate freely.
A 42-day ceasefire came into effect on Sunday, halting hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has agreed to release the remaining 33 hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians held by Israel and a partial Israeli withdrawal. During the temporary ceasefire, both sides agreed to discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire.
Many on both sides saw the agreement as a bittersweet moment. The people of Gaza are thankful for freedom after 15 months of war that killed tens of thousands, as they feared for their future in the area, much of which is now in ruins.
Israelis experienced a moment of collective joy at the release of the three female hostages – Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, age 28; and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. But their joy was dampened by the sight of Hamas soldiers roaming the streets of Gaza in violent demonstrations, despite Israeli leaders’ vows to eradicate the group. As part of that exchange, Israel released 90 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The war began after a Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel that Israeli authorities said killed nearly 1,200 and saw 250 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza killed at least 45,000 people, according to local health officials, whose figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
An estimated 94 hostages remain in Gaza, many of whom are presumed dead, according to Israeli authorities. They include Israeli soldiers, male citizens, women and Thai migrant workers.
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