Hamas and Israel are preparing to exchange more hostages and prisoners as the fragile truce continues – Politico

Israel and Hamas are expected to hold a third round of prisoner and hostage exchanges on Sunday amid a fragile truce in the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office received a list of hostages scheduled to be released and notified their families. Israeli media reported on Sunday. According to Haaretz newspaperAt least one of the hostages expected to be released is Russian and part of a deal between Hamas and Moscow.

These exchanges are part of a four-day truce agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States that began on Friday. In all, Hamas is scheduled to release 50 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing 150 Palestinian prisoners.

On October 7, the armed wing of Hamas led an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping about 240 others. In response, the Israeli armed forces relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip and launched a ground operation, leveling entire neighborhoods and killing More than 14 thousand Palestinians. About 1.7 million Gazans were displacedAccording to the United Nations.

Since the beginning of the truce, Hamas has released 41 hostages in exchange for the release of 78 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. According to Agence France-Presse.

On Saturday, the second round of hostage exchange was postponed for several hours after Hamas accused Israel of not respecting the truce agreement by not allowing a sufficient number of humanitarian aid trucks to reach the besieged northern Gaza area. Israel He said The delay is due to Hamas losing control over the northern Gaza Strip.

In the end, 13 Israelis and four Thais They were left behind In exchange for the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday evening.

Uncertainty remains around the third round of exchanges. Pascal Hundt, a senior Red Cross official He told Sky News He said on Sunday that he was “not confident” that more hostages would actually be released. The Red Cross then issued a clarification, saying the statement was “in no way an indication” that the exchange was doomed to fail. Haaretz reported.

Also on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Announce A Palestinian farmer was killed by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, while the Palestinian Authority killed He said Eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank within 24 hours.

The Hamas movement announced the martyrdom of senior leader Ahmed Al-Ghandour, who was responsible for northern Gaza, in the war. Al Jazeera reported.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel this week.