File photo used for representation
Gaza: Hamas announced today that it will release three Israeli prisoners on Saturday, as part of a prisoner and hostage exchange deal with Israel.
In a brief statement, Hamas confirmed that under the agreement, it will release Sasha Alexander Trubnov, Sagi Dekel Han, and Yair Horn. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities are expected to release 369 Palestinian prisoners as part of the sixth batch of the exchange deal.
In a related development, the Prisoners' Media Office, the Prisoners' and Freed Prisoners' Affairs Authority, and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club have released the names of the sixth group of freed detainees. This batch includes 36 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 333 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested after October 7, 2023.
Hamas had previously announced the postponement of a scheduled prisoner release last Monday, citing Israel's failure to uphold the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The movement specifically accused Israel of violating humanitarian protocols and failing to allow the entry of agreed-upon relief supplies.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel took effect on January 19. The first phase of the agreement will span 42 days, during which negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt with US support will pave the way for a second and third phase of the deal.
