Breaking: Hamas confirms three Israeli hostages to be freed Saturday

Hamas has proceeded with the scheduled release of three Israeli hostages, defying a previous threat to delay in response to what it alleged were Israeli violations of the ceasefire accord. The step follows mediation by Egypt and Qatar to uphold the fragile truce in the Gaza Strip.

The truce, which commenced on 19 January 2025, was initiated to allow for the staggered release of hostages being held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. So far, 21 Israeli hostages have been released, with the latest deal seeing a total of 33 hostages being released. In exchange, Israel has freed more than 730 Palestinian prisoners.

The situation escalated for the worse when Hamas held Israel to blame for not abiding by its side of the truce, including allowing humanitarian aid in the form of tents and shelters into Gaza. In response, Israel, supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, threatened to resume military operations if the hostages were not handed over on time.