Hamas on Saturday freed three more hostages in the southern Gaza Strip for 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fourth round of exchanges, which is part of ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Israel and Hamas are scheduled to commence discussions next week regarding the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, aiming to secure the freedom of remaining captives and establish an open-ended suspension of hostilities.Without a successful agreement, military operations could recommence in early March.
The initial six-week ceasefire plan stipulates the liberation of 33 hostages and approximately 2,000 prisoners, alongside permitting Palestinians to return to northern Gaza and enhancing humanitarian assistance to the severely affected region.
Palestinian health officials in Gaza declared that the previously closed Rafah crossing point with Egypt would resume operations on Saturday, allowing passage for thousands of Palestinians requiring urgent medical attention – a significant development indicating the continued progress of the ceasefire arrangement.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released two hostages, Yarden Bibas, 35, and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54, to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip.
The highly coordinated handover was part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Another hostage, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65, was also expected to be released in Gaza City later in the day, according to the news agency AP.
This marks the fourth hostage-for-prisoner exchange since the truce began on January 19. In return, Israel is expected to release dozens of Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
The war, which began with Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel, has resulted in more than 47,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Meanwhile, Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 Hamas fighters.