Hamas is set to release six more hostages, including Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkrat, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu, on Saturday. The bodies of four deceased hostages are also expected to be released on Thursday.
According to Israeli officials, the hostages were identified through cooperation with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of procrastinating in negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Qatar’s foreign ministry has expressed concern over the use of humanitarian aid as a negotiation card, calling for increased aid entry to Gaza. The two sides have been locked in talks, with mediators pushing for discussions to begin as soon as possible to facilitate discussion before the second phase is expected to commence.
Last week, Hamas threatened to postpone the hostage exchange, citing Israel’s delay in returning displaced Palestinians and allegedly targeting them with gunfire. However, the group later stated that the release would proceed as planned. In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. The deadline for Hamas was issued by President Donald Trump last week, warning of potential consequences if hostages were not released by Saturday.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/hamas-release-6-hostages-bodies-4/story?id=118921145