Gaza - Saturday: The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today handed over five Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of the seventh batch of releases taking place under the temporary ceasefire agreement between the movement and Israel.

The military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, announced the names of the hostages who were released: Ilya Cohen, Omar Shemtov, Omer Finkart, Tal Shoham, Afeera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed.

Hamas explained that it decided to release Hisham Al-Sayed without holding formal ceremonies, noting that the decision came “in respect for the Palestinians inside.”

In return, Israel is preparing to release 602 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, with this batch including 50 prisoners serving life sentences and 60 others serving lengthy sentences, as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between the two sides, which is being mediated internationally in ongoing efforts to extend the truce and prevent a new escalation in the Gaza Strip.

Negotiations for the Second Phase

Regarding the negotiations for the second phase of the deal, the Israeli broadcasting authority reported that Israel is demanding the release of 22 living prisoners, amid intensive American efforts to reach a new agreement within the next two weeks.

In this context, the American envoy held meetings with the Qatari foreign minister to discuss the details of the next phase, while Hamas continues to pressure for the implementation of the second phase according to the agreed terms.