Israel To Free Dozens Of Palestinian Prisoners, Hamas To Release 3 Hostages Under Ceasefire

It will be the fourth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began last month.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants are set to free three more hostages — all men — on Saturday, and Israel will release dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused fighting in the Gaza Strip after more than 15 months of war.

The hostages to be released, according to Hamas and Israel, are: Yarden Bibas, 35; American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65; and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon, 54. All were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war.

It will be the fourth swap of hostages for prisoners since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19. Fifteen hostages and hundreds of prisoners have already been freed in that time.

Also on Saturday, wounded Palestinians are expected to be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing. It had been the only exit point for Palestinians during the war before Israel closed it in May. A European Union civilian mission was deployed Friday to prepare for the reopening of the crossing.

The reopening would mark another key step in the first phase of the ceasefire, which calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.