Skip to main content

Gaza: Hamas, PIJ to release three Israeli captives on Saturday

Palestinian groups say will release three Israeli captives on Saturday
MENA
14 min read
14 February, 2025
Hamas said it will release the names of more Israeli captives it is expected to free on Saturday as the fragile truce agreement with Israel continues

Palestinian groups in Gaza said they would release hostages Iair Horn, US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Alexandre Sasha Troufanov on Saturday, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire with Israel.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel accepted the list.

Hamas had earlier threatened not to release more hostages after it accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire by blocking aid from entering Gaza, drawing counterthreats of a resumption of fighting from Israel.

The announcement, after days of uncertainty about whether the ceasefire agreed last month would hold, followed intense efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to keep last month's US-backed agreement on track.

The January 19 ceasefire, which largely halted Israel's 15-month offensive in Gaza, has been under heightened pressure since US President Donald Trump made a shock proposal to take over the territory.