This weekend's planned exchange is part of the initial phase of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Terror-listed Hamas is sticking to its demand that six named individuals from the hostages be released as planned – the selected hostages have previously been named by a relatives' group in Israel.
In return, Israel is releasing 602 prisoners held in Israeli prisons, according to a Palestinian human rights organization that supports Palestinians detained.
Among those being released are 445 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested after Islamist Hamas and other terrorist groups' attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. 60 of them are serving long prison sentences and 50 of the prisoners are sentenced to life imprisonment.
108 of the prisoners will be deported from Israel and Palestinian territories, according to the Palestinian organization's spokesperson Amani Sarahneh.
According to the agreement, this will be the last exchange in the first phase of the ceasefire. However, the circumstances surrounding the exchange are complicated due to the circumstances of the last exchange, where four dead hostages were supposed to be released.
Israel, however, accuses Hamas of not handing over the remains of Shiri Bibas, but instead claims that her remains were replaced by those of a deceased Palestinian woman. Bibas' two sons, Ariel and Kfir, have been identified by Israeli authorities.
Hamas also handed over the remains of the deceased Oded Lifshitz on Thursday. He was 83 years old when he was kidnapped.
According to the agreement between Israel and terror-listed Hamas on the first phase of the ceasefire, which will last for six weeks from January 19, a total of 33 people held hostage in Gaza by Islamist armed groups will be released during the period.
The releases are being made in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Islamist Hamas has said that six living hostages will be released on Saturday and another four bodies will be sent home next week, the last such handovers during the first phase of the ceasefire.
After that, it is believed that around 60 more Israeli hostages will remain with Hamas. The idea is that they will be released in a new phase of the ceasefire, but the conditions for that phase have not been negotiated.
