Hamas has sent Israel the names of the next group of hostages to be freed in Gaza on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
They are male civilians: Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34.
In Israel, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters welcomed “news about the expected release” of the three hostages.
Eighteen Israeli hostages have been freed since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19. Israel has released 383 prisoners in return. Hamas says another 183 are to be freed on Saturday.
Israel received the list of hostages and notified the families of the captives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated on Friday.
His office said he will be monitoring the situation from “the control center of the (Israeli) delegation in the United States and will receive continuous updates.”
Overall, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are due to be freed by the end of the first stage of the ceasefire, during the next three weeks. Israel says eight of the 33 are dead.
Hamas seized 251 hostages and killed about 1,200 people when it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Eli Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Beeri with his brother, Yossi, who has been confirmed dead. Eli’s wife and two daughters were murdered during the attack.
Ohad Ben Ami was also taken from Kibbutz Beeri, along with his wife, Raz. She was later released.
Or Levy, from Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, fled the Nova music festival with his wife Eynav, when gunmen attacked the event. Levy was taken hostage. Eynav’s body was found in a bomb shelter where the couple had been hiding.
The three men will have spent 491 days in Hamas captivity by the time of their release.
Their names were released after a delay in the announcement attributed to an ongoing dispute between Hamas and Israel regarding humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Hamas accused Israel of failing to abide by its commitment to boost the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.
The allegation contradicts UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who on Thursday said 10,000 lorries with food, medicine and tents had crossed into Gaza since the start of the ceasefire in what he called “a massive surge.”
Israel has consistently argued that Hamas misuses fuel and equipment from aid packages to manufacture weapons and power its operations. This ongoing tension over aid distribution has contributed to complications in the hostage release process, led to delays and increased tensions between the two parties, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.