Israeli officials reported Saturday evening that Hamas has yet to provide the list of three hostages set to be released on Sunday as part of the first phase of a cease-fire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal.
Once the list is received, preparations will begin to transport Palestinian prisoners to facilities where they will be released under heavy security.
The cease-fire is scheduled to take effect at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, with the release of hostages expected to begin around 4 p.m. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We will not proceed with the agreement unless we receive the list of hostages to be released, as stipulated. Israel will not tolerate breaches of the agreement. Hamas bears full responsibility." Netanyahu is set to deliver a statement later Saturday.
Despite prior commitments, Hamas has not yet provided the list, which Qatar’s prime minister was supposed to relay to Mossad Director David Barnea. Israeli officials are urging Qatar and other mediators to pressure Hamas to comply with the terms.
Israeli officials cautioned against weeks of potential psychological warfare and disinformation campaigns by Hamas targeting the Israeli public. “This will be a nightmare. We must prepare for a very difficult period,” one official said.
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Meanwhile, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told Qatari channel Al Arabi that there have been no violations of the agreement so far. He acknowledged the complexity of implementing prisoner exchanges and emphasized that a joint operations room in Cairo would oversee the delivery of aid to Gaza and monitor the swap process.
Under the agreement, Hamas is required to submit a list of hostages 24 hours before each phase of releases. The list is reviewed by Israel's negotiation team and approved by Netanyahu before families are notified. The IDF and Shin Bet are preparing to receive the hostages as each phase progresses.
In the first phase, Israel is set to release 95 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three female hostages. Among those to be released are prominent figures such as Nahil Masalmeh, the wife of senior Hamas operative Aeid Dodin; Abla Saadat, wife of Ahmed Saadat, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader behind the 2001 assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze’evi; and Khalida Jarrar, a PFLP leader linked to the 2019 murder of Rina Shnerb in the West Bank.
The agreement specifies the release of 33 hostages in total during the first phase, including women, children (Kfir and Ariel Bibas), elderly men over 50 and civilians with medical needs. Long-term captives Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, held in Gaza for over a decade, are also included.
Subsequent phases will see four women released on the seventh day of the agreement, with three hostages released weekly thereafter. The deal concludes in the sixth week with the release of all remaining hostages.
Israeli officials urged the public to remain patient, warning that delays and manipulations by Hamas are likely. “There is a high likelihood of violations from the first day,” officials said, adding that the timing of lists and hostage arrivals is subject to change due to potential disruptions.
Israeli officials reported Saturday evening that Hama*s has yet to provide the list of three hostages set to be released on Sunday as part of the first phase of a cease-fire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal.