February 22nd 2025.
Jerusalem: On Saturday, Hamas plans to release six Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. However, the exchange of these hostages for Palestinian prisoners is overshadowed by heightened tensions between the two sides, casting doubt on the future of the fragile ceasefire agreement.
As preparations for the release moved forward on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a vow to seek revenge for what he called a "cruel and malicious violation" of the agreement. This violation stemmed from the wrong identification of a body that was released by Hamas. The family of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother of two, confirmed that the remains handed over on Thursday were not hers, but were later identified as belonging to an unidentified Palestinian woman. The release of Bibas' body and three other hostages, including her two young sons and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, was a result of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people in Israel and sparked the ongoing war.
According to Israeli tests, the three hostages were killed by their captors. However, Hamas claims that Lifshitz and the members of the Bibas family were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. In response to the mix-up of remains, Hamas has stated that they will conduct a thorough review of the information and suggested that Israeli bombing in the area where the hostages were held may have caused the confusion.
Despite this dispute, Hamas has confirmed that the release of the six Israeli hostages will still go ahead as planned on Saturday. However, this disagreement over the body's identity has raised concerns about the future of the ceasefire agreement. As the first phase of the agreement nears its end, negotiations for a second phase, which would involve the release of dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, are expected to be even more challenging.
The six Israeli men who are set to be released on Saturday include Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, Omer Wenkert, 23, and Tal Shoham, 40. These men were all abducted during the October 7 attack while attending a music festival or living in the community of Kibbutz Beeri. Avera Mengistu, 39, and Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, who have been held captive since crossing into Gaza on their own years ago, are also scheduled to be returned to Israel as part of the deal.
In exchange for the release of these hostages, more than 600 Palestinians currently jailed in Israel will be freed, according to the Palestinian prisoners media office. This includes 50 serving life sentences, 60 with long sentences, 47 who were previously released in a similar hostage-for-prisoner exchange, and 445 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested since the war began.
Hamas has also promised to release four more bodies next week, completing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. If this plan is carried out, Hamas will still hold about 60 hostages, half of whom are believed to be alive. However, the group has stated that they will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. This stance is in direct conflict with Netanyahu's goals, which are supported by the Trump administration, to destroy Hamas' military and governing capacities and return all the hostages.
The ceasefire agreement has also been thrown into further doubt by President Trump's proposal to remove about 2 million Palestinians from Gaza so that the United States can take ownership and rebuild the area. While Netanyahu has welcomed this idea, it has been universally rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries. In response to the rejection from Egypt and Jordan, Trump stated in a Friday interview with Fox News that he was "a little surprised" and that he would not force the proposal on anyone. He also added that he believes his plan is the best solution but will not impose it.
The war between Israel and Palestine has been ongoing for over 15 months and has resulted in the deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. However, Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters without providing evidence. The offensive has also caused massive destruction, leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins and displacing 90% of Gaza's population at its peak. Many have returned to find their homes destroyed and no means of rebuilding.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
