Israel receives list of three hostages to be freed from Gaza

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Friday that Israel has received the list of three Israeli civilian hostages Hamas will release on Saturday.

The list includes Israeli-French citizen Ofer Calderon, 54, Israeli-American citizen Keith Siegel, 65, and Israeli civilian Yarden Bibas, 35.

Bibas' wife, Shiri, and two sons, five-year-old Ariel and two-year-old Kfir, were also taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023. The Israeli military has not officially confirmed their deaths but earlier expressed "grave concern" for their fate.

Under a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect on January 19, three Israeli hostages are scheduled to be released on Saturday.

Since the beginning of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement, five Israeli civilians, five female Israeli soldiers, and five Thai nationals have been released.

The first phase includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza and nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement on Friday that they have killed two Palestinian militants in Jenin, northern West Bank.

According to the statement, in a joint activity with ISA on Thursday, the IDF and additional forces encircled a structure and killed the two militants inside. (IANS)

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