GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Feb 15, (V7N) – Gaza militants are set to release three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for 369 Palestinians held in Israeli custody, marking the sixth prisoner exchange under a fragile truce that has come close to collapsing this week.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which was brokered on January 19. Hamas briefly paused hostage releases, while Israel warned of a renewed military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the tensions, both sides confirmed the planned hostage swap will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the three hostages set for release:

Sagui Dekel-Chen (Israeli-American)

Sasha Trupanov (Israeli-Russian)

Yair Horn (Israeli-Argentinian)

All three have been held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club, an advocacy group, confirmed that Israel will release 369 prisoners in exchange, with 24 of them set to be deported. The majority, 333 detainees, were arrested after October 7.

The ceasefire agreement has been under severe strain following a controversial proposal from US President Donald Trump, which suggested Gaza's population be moved to Egypt or Jordan.

Palestinians strongly reject any forced displacement, recalling the "Nakba" (catastrophe) of 1948 when hundreds of thousands were displaced during Israel’s creation.

In response, Saudi Arabia will host an emergency summit on Thursday with leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE to discuss Gaza’s future. The Arab League will follow up with a meeting in Cairo on February 27.

Trump warned Hamas that "hell" would break loose if all remaining hostages were not released by Saturday at noon. Israel also issued an ultimatum, demanding the release of "three living hostages" or the ceasefire would end.

The October 7 attack by Hamas killed 1,211 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Of these, 73 remain in Gaza, including 35 who are presumed dead, according to Israeli military estimates.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has resulted in the deaths of at least 48,239 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry that the United Nations deems reliable.

A second phase of the ceasefire talks is expected to begin next week in Doha, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nunu. The next phase is supposed to lay the groundwork for ending the war, but Israel has so far refused to engage on this issue.

Despite public threats and political maneuvering, analysts suggest that both Israel and Hamas have an interest in maintaining the ceasefire—for now.

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