Hamas has announced it will free six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and return the bodies of four others in a surprise acceleration of the ceasefire deal. The move comes after Israel agreed to allow mobile homes and construction equipment into the Gaza Strip, a key demand of Hamas.
The six hostages, including Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu, are the last living captives set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire. They were abducted from various locations, including a music festival and the hard-hit community of Kibbutz Beeri.
The release of all six hostages this week marks an acceleration of the ceasefire deal, which calls for Hamas to release three living hostages on Saturday and three more a week later. Israel is expected to continue releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
However, the ceasefire remains fragile, with fears that fighting will resume if negotiations on the second phase stall. The current phase runs until the beginning of March, but talks on the next stage have yet to start.
The move also comes as rebuilding efforts in Gaza are underway, with a report by the World Bank estimating that reconstruction could cost $53.2 billion. Palestinians are determined to stay in their homeland, with many residents expressing fear and uncertainty about Israel’s plans for the territory.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-02-18-2025-873e5177fea96dbf569ca96980eed29c