Hamas said it would release three Israelis on Saturday in the fifth hostage-prisoner swap between the militants and Israel as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, in exchange for 183 prisoners to be freed from Israeli jails.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that after completing the swap, an Israeli delegation will head to Doha for further negotiations on the ceasefire.
The latest exchange comes amid backlash over US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, which has triggered an uproar across the region and beyond. The three men set to be released on Saturday are Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami, according to Hamas. Their names were confirmed by Netanyahu’s office.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said Israel will free 183 prisoners in Saturday’s swap, 111 of whom were Gazans detained after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.
