Israeli officials believe Hamas will comply with the hostage deal agreement and release the four hostages on Saturday, officials told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
They added that they expected that Hamas will provide the complete list of names of the remaining hostages to be released during the 42-day phase, along with details of their medical conditions.
In the agreement that was signed a week ago, Hamas agreed to transfer the list on day seven of the ceasefire.
Israeli officials initially said that the deal required the list first, but later agreed to receive it on day seven.
In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that he will be visiting the region soon.
The Trump administration's role
“I want to visit the Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim in the Gaza Strip,” Witkoff said.
The envoy added that he would join an inspection team, ensuring that both the Israeli and the Palestinian side followed the terms of the Gaza ceasefire.
Meanwhile, talks on the second phase of the deal, which include the release of Israeli soldiers, have yet to begin, two sources familiar with the case told the Post.
The two sides agreed to begin negotiations on the second phase on day 16 of the ceasefire.
However, according to one source, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was the main person pressing to begin talks even sooner.
Hamas has called for a complete cessation of hostilities in Gaza as a condition for the second phase to be established. However, an Israeli official told the Post that Israel is unwilling to end the war and does not intend to permit Hamas to participate in any future governance structure in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised ministers who opposed the ceasefire, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, that Israel would return to fighting after day 42 of the ceasefire if negotiations fell through, with Trump’s backing.
This scenario could complicate the chances of reaching an agreement on phase two, which seems already difficult to reach due to the number and identities of the terrorists that Hamas is expected to demand in return for the remaining hostages.