Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Wednesday that 11 hostages held in the Gaza Strip will be released in the coming days. Eight of them are set to be freed on Thursday, while the remaining three will be released on Saturday. According to the Israeli government, the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas has provided a list of hostages to be released. Those scheduled for release on Thursday include three Israelis and five Thai nationals, while the three men to be freed on Saturday are reportedly alive.
In exchange for the release of the three Israeli hostages on Thursday, Israel will free 110 Palestinian prisoners. This exchange is part of a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19, which aims to release 33 hostages and approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners over a six-week period during its initial phase.
Among the hostages to be released on Thursday are two Israeli women: 29-year-old Arbel Yehud and 20-year-old Agam Berger, who were abducted while serving in the military near Gaza. Additionally, a German-Israeli elderly woman, Gadi Musa, will also be freed.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah II stated on Wednesday that Palestinians “must remain on their land,” rejecting a proposal by former U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate Gaza residents to Jordan and Egypt. In a statement, the Jordanian monarch emphasized that “the legitimate rights of Palestinians must be ensured under a two-state solution.”
Similarly, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared that forcibly displacing Palestinians would be an “injustice,” and his country would not participate in such actions.
In a related development, a Turkish aircraft carrying several tons of aid passed through Egypt’s El Arish port on Wednesday. This marks the first time aid has been delivered to the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire agreement took effect. The plane carried 871 tons of relief supplies, including 300 generators, 20 mobile toilets, 10,460 tents, and 14,350 blankets.
However, Hamas has accused Israel of delaying the delivery of aid to Gaza. A Hamas official warned that “continued delays and failure to adhere to the terms of the agreement will impact its progress, including the prisoner exchange.”
Israel has vehemently denied these allegations, calling them “completely false.” In a press conference on Wednesday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer stated that “the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is infiltrated by Hamas.” He added that “UNRWA is not only investigating 19 employees but hundreds of others,” and claimed that “UNRWA is Hamas.”
Israel has ordered UNRWA to leave “Israeli territory” by Wednesday, accusing some of its employees of involvement in the October 7 massacre.
As the hostage and prisoner exchange process continues under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, tensions between the two sides remain high.
