Media: Hamas hands over list of Israeli hostages to mediators

The Palestinian group Hamas has handed over to Israel, via mediators, a list of hostages set to be released from the Gaza Strip on January 19, when a ceasefire agreement comes into effect.

An Israeli representative told Israeli radio channel Kan that Hamas provided mediators with the names of three women, per Caliber.Az.

According to previous reports, these three women will be released first as part of the initial 42-day phase of the agreement, which includes Israel releasing 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 hostages.

A senior Palestinian official also confirmed that the group had sent Israel the required list of hostages set for release today, January 19. The names of the hostages scheduled to be released today are Romy Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28) and Doron Steinbrecher (31), as reported by The Times of Israel, citing Palestinian media.

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages were scheduled to take effect at 8:30 AM (9:30 AM Moscow time) on January 19. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the ceasefire would not take effect until Israel received the list of hostages promised by the Palestinian group. Hamas attributed the delay in providing the names of the first three hostages to technical issues on the ground but reiterated its commitment to the terms of the agreement.

The ceasefire agreement comprises three phases. In the first phase, lasting six weeks, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children, and men over the age of 50. According to media reports, a total of 98 hostages are being held in Gaza—94 of whom were captured during the group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while four have been detained in the enclave since 2014.

By Khagan Isayev