Feb. 7 (UPI) — Following an unexpected delay, Hamas on Friday released the names of the three latest hostages set to be released as part of the Palestinian militant group’s cease-fire with Israel.
Hamas waited until after the deadline stipulated in the cease-fire before announcing the names of the three men, who will be released Saturday.
Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami were all kidnapped during the Hamas attacks carried out against Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed the details on X, adding the families of the hostages also were notified.
Levy was among the 240 people kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. Levy’s wife, Eynav, was killed during the attack.
Ben Ami was kidnapped along with his wife. Raz Ben Ami was later released in November 2023 after spending 54 days in captivity.
Sharabi was taken by Hamas militants from a nearby kibbutz, along with his brother Yossi, who later died in captivity in Gaza. Sharabi’s wife and two daughters died during the initial attacks.
Saturday will mark the fifth round of hostage releases under the first phase of the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, which formally took effect Jan. 19. Prior to Saturday’s pending release, Hamas had freed a total of 18 hostages so far under the deal, while Israel had released more than 180 Palestinian prisoners.
American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel was one of three people released by Hamas last week.
About 79 hostages being held by Hamas are believed to remain in the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli officials. Of that number, 35 are presumed dead.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.