Jerusalem/Gaza, Feb 14 (IANS): Israel confirmed Friday that it has received a list of three hostages set to be released on Saturday from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office initially stated that the list was "acceptable by Israel," but a spokesman for Netanyahu later backtracked, clarifying that Israel had only received the list. "This is a purely factual description and does not reflect any Israeli position on the matter," the spokesman said.
The list was delivered to Israel via Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
According to a statement from Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the hostages are Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, a 29-year-old Israeli-Russian civilian; Sagui Dekel-Chen, a 36-year-old Israeli-American civilian; and Yair Horn, a 46-year-old Israeli.
Meanwhile, Israeli army radio reported that 369 Palestinian prisoners will be released on Saturday. Among them, 333 will be returned to Gaza, with 10 others sent back to their homes in the West Bank and one released in East Jerusalem, while the remaining 25 of the prisoners sentenced for life will either be deported to Gaza or sent abroad via Egypt, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.
This will mark the sixth batch of prisoner-for-hostage exchanges between Israel and Hamas under the ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19.
The anticipated release comes amid heightened tensions after US President Donald Trump warned that if "all of the hostages" in Gaza were not freed by Saturday at noon, the truce would be canceled, and he would "let hell break out." Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz echoed the warning, saying Israel would resume its onslaught on Gaza.
Hamas announced on Monday that it would delay the hostage release scheduled for Saturday, citing Israeli violations of the agreement and demanding Israel reaffirm its commitment to maintaining the ceasefire. On Thursday, the movement confirmed that it would continue implementing the ceasefire agreement, including the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages as initially scheduled.