Hamas name for next Israeli hostage to be released

Hamas has named four hostages due to secure a ceasefire in Gaza on Saturday.

It said they were soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. They will be released in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

This will be the second exchange since the ceasefire came into effect last Sunday.

The first swap freed three hostages and 90 prisoners.

The ceasefire halted the war, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage to the Gazans.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said more than 47,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Israeli offensive.

Hamas is also expected to provide information on the remaining 26 hostages to be released over the next five weeks.

This includes the Bibas family – two parents and two children, one of whom, KFIR, was the youngest hostage at 10 months old when captured. It was unclear whether this information included names or the number of dead hostages.

The prisoners who will be released are more serious than the prisoners who were released in the first exchange. They will include those killed, some of whom served more than 15 years.

Israel insists that no one involved in the October 7 attack will be released.

Ariev, Gilboa, Levy and Albag were captured in the Nahal Oz military base occupied by Hamas Gunmen. The camera shows them a group of women tied up from behind. They were seen pleading for help as they were taunted by their kidnappers.

The women are part of a unit monitoring the Israel-Gaza border.

Three weeks ago, Hamas released a video of 19-year-old Albag calling on the Israeli government to reach a deal.

The ceasefire comes after months of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

It will be implemented in three phases, with the second phase taking place six weeks into the truce. In the first phase, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for 33 hostages. Israeli forces will also begin withdrawing from positions in Gaza, and thousands of displaced Palestinians will be able to return to areas they fled or were forced to leave.

The ceasefire is intended to lead to a permanent end to the war in Gaza.

The ninety-one hostages taken on October 7, 2023 are still being held in Gaza. Fifty-seven of them were still alive in Israel. Three others are still alive – for a decade or more.

Three Israeli female hostages have been released as part of the latest ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Romi Gonen, 24, was arrested while trying to escape the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, as part of an attack by a militant group.

She was released along with veterinary nurse Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Emily Damari, 28, who holds dual British-Israeli citizenship.

The three returned to Israel on Sunday and were reunited with their families after being released by Hamas in Gaza.