Hamas will release three Israeli hostages, including two women and an 80-year-old man, along with five Thai nationals as part of a hostage exchange deal scheduled for Thursday, Israeli and Hamas officials confirmed. The release is part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that has temporarily paused the conflict in Gaza.
Israeli officials identified the hostages as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and Gadi Moses, 80. Their families approved the publication of their names. The identities of the five Thai nationals have not been disclosed. Many foreign workers were taken hostage during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
The ceasefire deal, negotiated over several months with U.S. mediation, includes the phased release of hostages in exchange for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Thursday release was not initially planned but was arranged after Israel and Hamas disagreed over the selection of hostages released over the weekend. Israeli authorities had requested Yehoud’s inclusion in the earlier group, and when she was not freed, Israel restricted the movement of Palestinians attempting to return to northern Gaza.
International mediation led to an agreement, securing the additional release and lifting movement restrictions. Another hostage release is scheduled for Saturday, with Israeli officials confirming that male hostages will be among those freed. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are also set to be released.
As the ceasefire continues, former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that neighboring Egypt and Jordan should accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza. The proposal was swiftly rejected by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who called it “an injustice” and emphasized Egypt’s commitment to a two-state solution.
“The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place,” el-Sissi said during a press conference in Cairo with the Kenyan president.
Trump had stated that relocating Palestinians from Gaza would “clear out” the war-torn region, suggesting that the resettlement could be either temporary or permanent. However, Egypt and Jordan have both opposed the idea, arguing it would undermine Palestinian statehood and destabilize the region.
Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages taken, the war has devastated Gaza. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The fighting has displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with many forced to flee multiple times.
Concerns over permanent displacement remain high among Palestinians. Far-right Israeli officials have suggested rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza, an idea Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called unrealistic.
Meanwhile, Egypt and Jordan, both of which have peace treaties with Israel, continue to advocate for a Palestinian state. While both countries receive billions of dollars in U.S. aid, Egypt’s military assistance remains exempt from the Biden administration’s global funding freeze.
