Three Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip are expected to be released on Thursday as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant groups.
The hostages include Arbel Yehud, a dual Israeli-German citizen, Israeli soldier Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses, who is also reported to hold German citizenship. Their release will come in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
Yehud is currently being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group and was initially supposed to be released alongside a previous batch of hostages on Saturday. However, instead of her release, four female soldiers were freed in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. Israel had earlier demanded that female civilians be prioritized over female soldiers.
Frustrated by the delay in Yehud’s release, Israel initially halted the agreed return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. However, following a new agreement securing her release along with Berger and Moses, thousands of Palestinians were permitted to return north this week.
Moses is set to become the first male hostage freed under the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on January 19, pausing more than 15 months of conflict.
The hostages will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross before being transported back to Israel for medical evaluation. Reports indicate they may be released at different times and locations, with 110 Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed in exchange.
Additionally, three more Israeli hostages are slated for release on Saturday.
The ceasefire deal, brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, was reached in mid-January and outlined a three-stage process. In its first phase, 33 Israeli hostages were exchanged for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners. The agreement also calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza.
Currently, an estimated 90 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with Israeli officials confirming that at least 30 of them have died.
