Israel, through Egypt and Qatar, has received the names of the three hostages that Hamas is expected to release on Saturday. They are Sasha Trufanov (29), Sagui Dekel-Chen (36), and Yair Horn (46).
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet stated that the list is acceptable, and the families of the hostages have given consent for their names to be released. As part of the sixth exchange of hostages and prisoners, Israel is expected to release 369 Palestinian prisoners tomorrow, including 36 individuals serving life sentences, as announced by Hamas’ media office.
Earlier this week, former U.S. President Donald Trump called on Hamas to release “all Israeli hostages” by Saturday afternoon, threatening serious consequences if this did not happen. “If the hostages are not returned by Saturday at noon, let hell break loose,” Trump stated.
Following Trump’s remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that if Hamas does not release the hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will be broken, and Israeli forces will resume intense fighting until Hamas is ultimately defeated. However, Netanyahu did not explicitly say that he expects all hostages to be released by Saturday afternoon. Tensions in the region continue to rise as the outcome of the latest prisoner and hostage exchange is awaited.
Written by our correspondent D.I.
