Hamas releases four Israeli captives in latest ceasefire swap Israel-Palestine conflict news
Hamas says four female soldiers are to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.
Hamas has released the names of four Israeli female soldiers in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the second swap under the Gaza ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it received the list submitted by Hamas on Friday, but has not confirmed the names.
The exchange, expected to begin Saturday afternoon, follows the release on Sunday, the first day of the cease-fire, of three Israeli women and 90 Palestinian prisoners, the first such exchange for more than a year.
In the first phase of a six-week Gaza ceasefire, Israel has agreed to release 50 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier freed, officials have said.
It revealed that 200 Palestinian prisoners would be released this weekend in exchange for four Israelis.
However, some reports indicated that the list did not align with the terms of the ceasefire and that Israel was expecting some civilians to be included in the latest list for release.
“Israel wanted civilians released first, then soldiers and then those deemed extremely ill as part of the first phase of the deal,” Al Jazeera’s Hamdu Salut reported from Amman, Jordan.
Since Sunday’s release of three women and the recovery of the body of an Israeli soldier missing for a decade, Israel said 94 Israelis and foreigners remain in Gaza.
The ceasefire worked out after months of on-off talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States, stopping fighting for the first time since a truce lasting just a week in November 2023.
In the first phase, Hamas has agreed to release 33 detainees in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
At a later stage, the two sides are to negotiate an exchange of remaining detainees and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, which lies largely in ruins after 15 months of fighting and Israeli bombardment.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 47,283 Palestinians and injured 111,472 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel and more than 200 were taken captive during Hamas-led attacks that day.
