Hamas releases names of 3 Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday

Hamas said it would release three Israelis on Saturday in the fifth hostage-prisoner swap between the militants and Israel as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, in exchange for 183 prisoners to be freed from Israeli jails.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that after completing the swap, an Israeli delegation will head to Doha for further negotiations on the ceasefire.

The latest exchange comes amid backlash over US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, which has triggered an uproar across the region and beyond.

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The three men set to be released on Saturday are Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami, according to Hamas. Their names were confirmed by Netanyahu’s office.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said Israel will free 183 prisoners in Saturday’s swap, 111 of whom were Gazans detained after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.

After sparking widespread condemnation with his comments earlier in the week, Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he was in no hurry to advance his controversial plan for Gaza.

The plan proposes relocating Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants out of the territory and placing the war-battered coastal region under US control.

“There’s absolutely no rush,” Trump said during his meeting with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Since his initial declaration, Israel has ordered its military to prepare for the “voluntary” relocation of Gazans, while Hamas has rejected Trump’s plan as “absolutely unacceptable.”

Israel and Hamas have completed four swaps under the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.

Palestinian militants have so far freed 18 hostages in exchange for around 600 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails.

The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, aims to secure the release of 33 hostages during the first 42-day phase of the agreement.

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