JERUSALEM — Hamas is set to release three Israeli hostages, including two women and an 80-year-old man, along with five Thai nationals, as part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement with Israel, an Israeli official confirmed on Wednesday. The release is expected to take place on Thursday as part of a deal that has temporarily halted fighting in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli hostages were identified as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and Gadi Mozes, 80. The Thai nationals have not been named. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, stated that the families of the Israeli hostages had approved the publication of their names.
The exchange comes amid a fragile truce that has allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, a region that has suffered extensive damage from Israeli bombardments. The war, which began on October 7, 2023, after a Hamas-led attack on Israel, has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The conflict has also displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has firmly rejected a proposal by former U.S. President Donald Trump that Egypt and Jordan should take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza. Speaking at a press conference in Cairo alongside Kenya’s president, el-Sissi called the idea “an injustice” and insisted that a two-state solution was the only viable resolution to the conflict.
Trump, who floated the idea over the weekend, suggested that resettling Palestinians in neighboring countries could be temporary or permanent. However, both Egypt and Jordan, which have long supported the establishment of a Palestinian state, have strongly opposed any forced displacement, fearing it could permanently alter the region’s demographics and undermine Palestinian statehood.
Israel’s government remains divided on the future of Gaza, with some far-right politicians advocating for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has dismissed such proposals as unrealistic.
Hamas’ release of hostages follows previous exchanges brokered through international mediation. The ongoing negotiations, which include the involvement of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, continue to shape the fragile ceasefire.