Hamas has released three more names of Israeli hostages to be freed as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement, a sign the deal was moving forward Friday even as United States and Israeli officials continued calls to relocate Gaza’s population after the war. This will mark the fifth exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel.
The three men, captured by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, are set to be freed Saturday.
An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material, confirmed that the hostages scheduled for release are: Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34.
33 Israeli hostages to be freed
Israel is set to release 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday to fulfill its side of the agreement, according to the Hamas-linked prisoners’ office in Gaza.
The terms of the deal’s first six-week phase call for Hamas to gradually free a total of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Who are the three hostages to be released?
Sharabi was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm that was one of the hardest hit in the Hamas attack. His wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters were killed by militants.
Ben Ami, a father of three, was taken hostage from the same community, where he was the kibbutz accountant. His wife, who was also captured, was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023.
Levy, a computer programmer from the city of Rishon Lezion, was pulled by militants from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival in southern Israel. His wife was killed during the attack. The couple’s toddler son has been under the care of family members.
Hamas has so far released 18 hostages, including five Thai citizens captured in Israel during the attack. Last week, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in accordance with the deal.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
