Israel has received a list of four female hostages that Hamas is set to release on Saturday as part of the second round of releases under the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month. The hostages to be freed are Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, all of whom were serving as Israel Defense Forces soldiers when they were kidnapped.
Despite Israel's expectation for the release of Arbel Yehud, a female civilian hostage still held in Gaza, to be included in Saturday's release, Hamas has not listed her. Yehud, taken from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, is believed to be held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not Hamas.
Initially, it was unclear whether Israel would accept the list provided by Hamas without Yehud's inclusion. However, after a situational assessment conducted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the defense minister and negotiation team heads, it was decided that the release would proceed as planned.
In the first phase of releases, three hostages were freed on Sunday: Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher, alongside the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners by Israel. The second group of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners set for release is part of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement, expected to span five more weeks.
As per the terms of the agreement, a total of 26 more Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be released over the coming weeks. Currently, Hamas and its allies hold 91 individuals taken from Israel in October 2023, with three additional hostages held captive since 2014 still in Gaza. In total, 251 people were taken from Israel on October 7, 2023.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops will withdraw from certain parts of Gaza, and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza will be increased to support the region.
