Israel & Hamas Deal: Identifies the next three Israeli captives to be traded for Palestinian detainees

Hamas named the next three Israeli hostages it plans to release this weekend as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. It was a sign that the first phase of the truce was moving forward as planned even as many observers fear that U.S. and Israeli plans to remove all the Palestinians from Gaza have imperiled the deal.

Friday’s announcement came after Hamas accused Israel of overly restricting humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire — items like tents, fuel and equipment to clear debris. There was no immediate response from Israel on Hamas’ allegation that it had broken the terms of the truce deal. U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he wants nuclear talks with Tehran despite reimposing his “ maximum pressure ” approach.

West Bank, Ramallah — The names of 183 Palestinian inmates who would be freed from Israeli jails the next day in return for the release of three Israeli men who are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza were released by the Palestinian Authority’s commission on prisoners’ affairs on Friday.

Of the inmates, 111 are Gaza-based Palestinians who were arrested following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023; 18 are serving life sentences, while 54 have long-term sentences. They are all men, aged between 20 and 61. Israel consented to free about 1,000 Gazan prisoners under the terms of the current six-week ceasefire, provided that they were not participating in the Hamas-led