Hamas announced on Friday the names of three Israeli hostages set to be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, following a delay that highlighted challenges facing a fragile agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza. The hostages to be released are Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were taken from Kibbutz Be’eri during a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted from the Nova music festival on the same day. Hamas stated that the exchange is scheduled for Saturday, with Israel expected to release 183 Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and detainees from Gaza during the war. Earlier, Hamas accused Israel of violating their ceasefire and postponed revealing the hostages’ names until after a deadline had passed. The situation raised uncertainties about the exchange, as both sides traded accusations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported a controversial proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate Gaza’s population to another country under U.S. control, a plan that met staunch opposition. Despite ongoing challenges, progress has been made in releasing hostages and prisoners as part of the agreement. Efforts for the next phase are underway, with negotiations ongoing between Israeli and Hamas representatives.
The level of trust between the two sides had dwindled significantly after over 15 months of the bloodiest period in the long-standing conflict. The Israeli military announced on Friday that commanders were busy conducting situational assessments in preparation for the upcoming phase of the agreement currently under discussion, with troops strategically positioned at various locations around the Gaza Strip.
Hamas expressed discontent, claiming that only 8,500 trucks out of the expected 12,000 had made it into the territory, with most of them carrying non-essential items like chips and chocolate instead of the urgently needed supplies. Furthermore, only a meager 10% of the required 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans for shelter had been delivered, leaving hundreds of thousands vulnerable to the harsh winter conditions. Essential heavy machinery essential for clearing the extensive rubble and recovering the numerous bodies believed to be buried had not yet arrived.
Israel refuted the allegations of deliberately delaying aid deliveries as baseless, emphasizing that thousands of trucks, including tents and shelters, had indeed been allowed access. COGAT reported that over 100,000 tents had entered Gaza since the agreement was put into effect the previous month, with caravans and tractors from Egypt also being permitted entry since the recent Sunday.
Despite both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, the truce remained intact, providing a potential path towards ending the conflict and initiating the reconstruction of Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led gunmen carried out an attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the capture of over 250 as hostages, marking Israel’s most significant single-day loss of life since its establishment in 1948. In retaliation, Israel launched a comprehensive air and ground offensive in Gaza, leading to the loss of more than 47,000 Palestinian lives, as reported by Gaza health authorities, and causing extensive destruction in the narrow enclave.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and James Mackenzie in Jerusalem; additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Mark Heinrich)
