Hamas’ armed wing announced on Friday that it will release six Israeli hostages on Saturday under the ongoing ceasefire deal. The hostages named for release are Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkert, Hisham al-Sayed, and Avera Mengisto.
Al-Sayed and Mengisto are Israeli civilians who entered Gaza nearly a decade ago and have been held captive since. Their release marks a significant development in the ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamas official Taher al-Nunu accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading “a series of lies” regarding the dispute over the return of the body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas.
“We are committed to the agreement. Mistakes can happen. We are investigating this matter,” al-Nunu told Al Jazeera Arabic, addressing reports that Israel received the wrong body instead of Bibas’.
Al-Nunu blamed Netanyahu for escalating the crisis, stating that Hamas had initially offered to release captives earlier in the war in exchange for a ceasefire, but Netanyahu rejected the deal. “At that time, all the civilian hostages were alive,” he claimed.
The Hamas official also criticized Netanyahu for refusing to extend the initial truce in November 2023, which could have facilitated the return of additional civilian hostages, including those who had been killed.
“Netanyahu refused to extend the ceasefire by just one day, which could have allowed Israel to retrieve some of the civilians, including members of the Bibas family,” al-Nunu said.
Israeli journalist and columnist Gideon Levy told Al Jazeera that he does not believe the dispute over Bibas’ body will jeopardize the planned hostage-prisoner exchange scheduled for Saturday.
“The immediate priority is tomorrow’s release of six living hostages. Israel will not act before that happens,” Levy said.
However, beyond Saturday, the future of the ceasefire deal remains uncertain.
“After this phase, everything is unclear. If it were up to Israel, there would be no second phase. It all depends on the Americans,” Levy stated.
He emphasized that U.S. intervention will be crucial in determining whether the ceasefire agreement progresses.
“If the Americans are committed enough, there will be another phase. If not, there won’t be,” Levy said. “Israel is making a big fuss about the hostage body mix-up, but ultimately, this cannot derail the agreement. I hope the U.S. will pressure Netanyahu to move forward with the second phase.”
The situation remains fluid as negotiations continue, with global attention focused on whether the truce will hold and whether additional hostages will be released in the coming days.
