Israel to receive names of hostages as Gaza deal enters next phase

Shafaq News/ Israel is set to receive the names of three female soldiers and one civilian held by Hamas in Gaza ahead of their planned release on Saturday, Israeli media reported.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the four hostages will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then transferred to the Israeli military. The civilian among them is expected to be Erbil Yehud.

Hamas has pledged to provide Israel with a full list of 33 hostages, including both living and deceased individuals, as part of the first phase of the deal. Israeli officials estimate that at least 25 of the captives are alive.

On Monday, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three Israeli hostages in the initial stage of a ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The truce, which began last Sunday, is expected to last 42 days, during which further negotiations will determine subsequent phases of the agreement.

Hamas has agreed to release 33 Israeli captives in the first phase. For every Israeli soldier released, 50 Palestinian prisoners will be freed, while each civilian hostage will be exchanged for 30 Palestinian detainees.

Israel currently holds over 10,400 Palestinians in its prisons, while Hamas is believed to be holding around 96 Israeli hostages, with the group claiming that dozens were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Preparations for the second phase of the agreement are already underway, with formal negotiations set to begin on Feb. 4, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Israeli officials, including military coordinator Ghassan Alian, have visited Egypt to discuss the implementation of the deal.

The conflict in Gaza has left 47,161 people dead, most of them women and children, according to medical sources, with over 111,000 injured since the start of Israel’s war on Oct. 7. Thousands of bodies remain trapped under rubble, and rescue teams face ongoing challenges in accessing affected areas.