Jerusalem/Gaza, Feb 8 (IANS) Israel has received from Hamas, through mediating countries, the names of three Israeli hostages to be released from Gaza on Saturday as part of a ceasefire-hostage deal, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
In exchange, Hamas said on Friday that Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners.
The three Israeli hostages, kidnapped in a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, are Ohad Ben Ami, 56, a dual Israeli-German citizen; Eli Sharabi, 52; and Or Levy, 34.
Sharabi was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm that was one of the hardest hit in the Hamas attack. His wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters were killed by Hamas militants.
Ben Ami, a father of three, was taken hostage from the same community, where he was the kibbutz accountant. His wife, who was also captured, was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023.
Levy, a computer programmer from the city of Rishon Lezion, was pulled by militants from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival in southern Israel. His wife was killed during the attack. The couple’s toddler son has been under the care of family members.
Hamas has so far released 18 hostages, including five Thai citizens captured in Israel during the attack. Last week, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners following the deal.
Details of the planned exchange came as US President Donald Trump continued talking up his widely criticised proposal to move all Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop it as an international travel destination.
According to Israeli media reports, Ben Ami’s wife was also kidnapped on October 7 but was released after 54 days in captivity as part of a previous hostage deal.
The idea, which Trump characterised on Friday as a “real estate transaction,” has been roundly rejected by the region’s Arab governments and by Palestinians themselves, who say forcing them from their homes would constitute ethnic cleansing.
But Trump insisted on Friday that his idea “had been very well received”. After calling originally for “permanent” resettlement of the Palestinians, his newest comments left the question of duration unresolved.
“We don’t want to see everybody move back and then move out in 10 years” because of continued unrest, he said.
Israeli forces have withdrawn from most of Gaza, as specified by the ceasefire agreement, but remain in border areas. The military has warned Palestinians to avoid areas where troops are operating and has opened fire on people accused of violating the terms of the agreement.
Negotiators have yet to agree on terms for the deal’s second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens more hostages in return for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire.
The Prisoners’ Media Office affiliated with Hamas said on Friday that Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners.
According to a press statement, the list includes 18 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, 54 prisoners serving long sentences, and 111 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after the October 7 attack.
This will be the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange under the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.
The previous four swaps resulted in the release of 18 hostages from Gaza and around 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Effective on January 19, the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement stipulates that Hamas release 33 hostages, while Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
–IANS
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