Three Israelis who were held hostages in the Gaza Strip are scheduled to be released on Saturday in exchange for more than 300 Palestinian prisoners held at Israeli prisons.
This is the latest indication that fragile ceasefire contracts are being held these days. Nearly all of the remaining 73 hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers, and about half are thought to be dead.
Since the ceasefire began on January 19, both sides have conducted five swaps, releasing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners so far in the first phase of the armistice. The war could resume if a more complicated second phase does not reach an agreement, calling for the return of all hostages arrested in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the indefinite extension of the armistice. there is.
This is the latest: Who are the hostages and prisoners?
All three hostages released are men who were accused of Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose approximately 80 of the approximately 400 residents were taken hostage during the attack on October 7th.
Iair Horn, 46, is a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina. He was accused of his brother, Eitan Horn. He was with him at the time. Eitan is in captivity.
Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, was working outside when extremists attacked the kibbutz. His wife hides in a safe room with her two daughters. She gave birth to her third daughter two months later.
Alexander Torfanov, 29, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship, was taken hostage along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The three women were released in a short ceasefire in November 2023. Torfanov’s father was killed in the attack on October 7th.
Of the more than 300 Palestinian prisoners, the most notable prisoner is the 48-year-old, an extremist leader and close aide to iconic Palestinian politician Marwan Barguti. This is Ahmed Barghuti.
Israel has declared life to Ahmed Barguti on accusations of sending suicide bombers during the second Intifada or Palestinian uprising to carry out an attack that killed Israeli civilians in the early 2000s. He was arrested in 2002 along with Marwan Bargootie.
The ceasefire has recently appeared dangerously close to collapse.
Hamas said it would delay the release of hostages after accusing Israel of not complying with their agreement by not allowing sufficient shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment to clean up the tiled bleets. Israel said it will resume fighting on Saturday unless the hostages are released.
Trump’s proposal to remove around 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and resolve them elsewhere in the region has cast even more doubt on the future of the truce. Trump proposed that once the battle ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would redevelop it as the “Middle Eastern Riviera.”
The idea has been welcomed by the Israeli government, and its far-right members have already called for the resumption of war after the first phase, with the goal of destroying Hamas and implementing Trump’s plans. However, it has been strongly rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries, and human rights groups say it could be a war crime under international law.
Hamas may not want to release any more hostages if they believe the war will resume. The POW is one of the only negotiation tips it left behind.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any text changes.
