Israel Hamas: Will release six live hostages on Saturday
The Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas wants to release six living hostages on Saturday. This was announced by senior Hamas official Chalil al-Haja.
18.02.2025, 15:29
18.02.2025, 15:30
SDA
According to the agreement, Hamas initially had to release three live hostages on Saturday. Al-Haja also said that the bodies of four hostages were to be handed over on Thursday. Among the dead was the Bibas family - a mother and two small children. Their fate had been uncertain until the very end. The father of the family, Jarden Bibas, was last released alive.
The remaining bodies were to be handed over in the sixth week of the ceasefire, said Al-Haja. The move was a continuation of efforts to ensure the success of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel. He also spoke of preparations for talks on a second phase of the ceasefire. In return, Israel must release Palestinian prisoners as agreed.
According to Hamas, the six live hostages to be released include two Israelis who have been held in the Gaza Strip for around a decade.
Since the beginning of the ceasefire in the Gaza war on January 19, the Islamists have released 19 hostages in several rounds. In addition, five Thais kidnapped from Israel were released independently of the agreement.
The multi-stage agreement between Israel and Hamas provides for the gradual release of a total of 33 hostages in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners during an initial six-week phase. Of these, 14 abductees, including eight dead, are still held by Hamas.
