Israeli officials expect Hamas to comply with Saturday hostage release

Hamas will likely comply because it has an interest that Israel will withdraw its forces from the Netazrim corridor, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

 People walk past posters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
People walk past posters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Israeli officials believe Hamas will comply with the second release of the hostages deal, which is expected to take place Saturday.

Hamas will likely comply because it has an interest that Israel will withdraw its forces from the Netazrim corridor, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

While people will be allowed to move freely from northern Gaza, US contractors will screen vehicles ferrying Palestinians from the south of the enclave for weapons.

Hamas is supposed to transfer the list of hostages that will be released on Saturday at around 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Israel is demanding that one of the four hostages will be 29-year-old Arbel Yehud. Yehud was taken hostage along with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.

Barnea will receive hostage list from Qatari prime minister

The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, will receive the list from the Qatari prime minister. In return, Israel will release 120 terrorists, some of them who are categorized as terrorists "with blood on their hands" and were jailed for more than 15 years.

 A person stands in front of posters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)
A person stands in front of posters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)

Israel is also expected to receive from Hamas the list of the rest of the 27 hostages to be released on phase one of the deal, along with their condition. This is in accordance with the hostage deal signed a week ago, which stated that this would happen on day seven.

Hamas confirms it will hand over names of four hostages to be released Saturday

Later, Hamas confirmed that it would hand over the names of four hostages that are set to be released on Saturday as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal between Israel and the Gazan terror organization, the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network reported.