A senior Hamas official said Thursday that the terror group would provide Israel on Friday with the names of the four hostages it would release on Saturday, as part of the second exchange of hostages for Palestinian security prisoners under the peace deal. ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby, senior Hamas leader Zaher Jabarin said: “Tomorrow we will give the mediators the names of the four hostages who will be released.”
Jabarin, responsible for the group’s activities in the West Bank, lives in Istanbul and is a Hamas leader in exile.
The second exchange of the deal is expected to take place Saturday afternoon, when Hamas is expected to release four women, military and civilians.
Hamas was also expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the remaining 30 hostages who were to be released in the first stage of the deal, providing long-sought clarification on which hostages were alive.
However, the Kan public broadcaster, citing security officials, said Israel was preparing for the likelihood that Hamas would only provide the number of living hostages, not specific details or names.
Nonetheless, the number of live hostages would allow Israel to prepare for the release of the appropriate number of Palestinian security prisoners.
On Wednesday, Hebrew media reported that Israel told Hamas it expected the terror group to release hostage Arbel Yehud in Saturday’s exchange.
Yehud is among the civilian hostages held by Gaza terrorists and, as a civilian woman, is expected to be among the next batch released. However, she is believed to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group and not Hamas, which appears to raise concerns in Jerusalem about a possible attempt by Hamas to delay her release.
The 33 hostages are expected to be returned as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Row 1 (left to right): Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Arbel Yehud, Doron Steinbrecher, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas; Row 2: Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moshe Moses; Row 3: Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz; Row 4: Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Yarden Bibas, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov; Row 5: Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov (all photos courtesy)
She is one of seven remaining female hostages on the initial list of 33 to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The others are Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33; Liri Albag, 19 years old; Karina Ariev, 20 years old; Agam Berger, 21 years old; Danielle Gilboa, 20 years old and Naama Levy, 20 years old.
For each of the female soldiers, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted terrorists serving life sentences.
Early Monday, Israel released 30 prisoners for each of the three female civilian hostages – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher – that Hamas had freed the previous afternoon.
“We will not abandon others”
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone with the parents of Damari, Steinbrecher and Gonen, who urged him to do everything possible to bring the rest of the hostages home.
“We have not given up and we will not give up on others,” Netanyahu told them in a recording of the call distributed by the prime minister’s office.
Meirav Leshem Gonen, Romi’s mother, thanked him for doing “the moral and responsible thing, for having the courage” to bring them home. She said the three women are beginning their healing process, “and their ardent wish is to bring back the rest of their brothers and sisters.”
Freed hostage Doron Steinbrecher is reunited with her mother shortly after returning to Israel after 471 days of Hamas captivity in Gaza, January 19, 2025. (FDI)
Simona Steinbrecher, Doron’s mother, told Netanyahu that “we are asking in Doron’s name, pleading, not to stop – everyone needs to be with their family.”
Emily’s mother Mandy, speaking in English, thanked the Prime Minister “for finally signing a ceasefire agreement.” I know it took a lot of courage, but it was so important to get Emily back, and all the hostages should feel as happy as we did. feel.”
Russian help
Israel’s Ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin, revealed Thursday that Jerusalem is also working with Moscow to help free three hostages held in Gaza who do not have Russian citizenship.
In an interview with Russian news agency RBC, Halperin highlighted ongoing efforts to help free Russian-Israeli hostage Sasha Trufanov, who is on the list of 33 hostages expected to be released in the first stage of the ceasefire.
Sasha Trufanov is held hostage in a video released by the Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad, November 13, 2024. (Screenshot)
In addition, she added, discussions are taking place regarding the hostage Maxim Herkin, originally from Ukraine, whose mother and daughter have Russian nationality and whose release is not planned at the moment.
Halperin said in the interview that “it is important to say that I am working with the Russian side to free the hostages not only with Russian citizenship,” saying that work was underway for the release of “Maxim Herkin and two other hostages, whose fate is reserved for Russia.” is concerned.
The ambassador said she would not reveal the other two names, who are not on the list of those released initially: “We really hope that the Russian side can really help us. I sincerely believe that if the Russian side insists, it will be able to contribute to the release of these three hostages.”
Maxim Herkin is presumed captured during the Supernova desert rave on October 7, 2023 by Hamas terrorists (Courtesy)
During the ceasefire and hostage release week of November 2023, Hamas released Russian-Israeli Roni Krivoy outside the framework of the agreement, in what it called a gesture towards Moscow .
Ninety-one of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 dead confirmed by the IDF.
A safety net
Also on Thursday, National Unity President Benny Gantz criticized Netanyahu’s “extremist” government for its failure to “formulate a path to overthrow the Hamas regime” in Gaza.
“It’s been more than a year and still no solution has been found on how to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza without some sort of Hamas mediation,” said former war minister during a speech at Reichman University in Herzliya.
National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz is seen during a discussion on Israeli broadcasting authorities during a Knesset economic affairs meeting, in Jerusalem, December 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90 )
“At the start of the war, I laid down the principles for the establishment of an international administration that would operate in Gaza on behalf of moderate Arab countries. We have the opportunity to implement this plan with the Trump administration (and) we must not miss it,” he continued.
Regarding the current ceasefire agreement on the return of hostages, Gantz reiterated his promise to provide Netanyahu with the support he needs to honor the agreement in the face of opposition from his coalition partners far right.
“My colleagues and I promised a safety net for the return of the hostages and we will respect it. There is no need to go into government to make sure it doesn’t fall. A safety net can also be provided outside the government,” he said.
This combination photograph created on May 30, 2024 shows (left) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 12, 2024 and (right) Minister Benny Gantz on May 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel and Miriam Alster/Flash90)
His party will oppose legislation that exempts the Haredi community from military service and blocks passage of an economically bad budget, he said, adding: “But as long as the return of abductees is truly at the center of the action, we will find solutions so that the government does not fall “to the last hostage”.
A spokesperson for Gantz did not provide details on the types of solutions available to the head of National Unity.
