Hamas has informed mediators it is ready to release 20 living hostages on Sunday, rather than wait until the previously agreed-upon date, the Wall Street Journal reported. The report has not been independently confirmed and is being reviewed by Israeli officials.
A senior Israeli official told the Journal that the IDF has already made preparations to receive the hostages. Nevertheless, Israeli assessments still point to Monday as the likely release date, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Israel and Egypt.
Shortly after the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons. “Israel is fully prepared for the immediate reception of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Security officials believe Hamas may be seeking to complete the release before Trump’s arrival. Preparations are underway for multiple scenarios, including the possibility of an earlier handover Sunday night. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas must release the hostages by noon Monday.
Meanwhile, sources close to Hamas told the Arabic daily Al Sharq that “all arrangements have been finalized” for the exchange deal: 20 living hostages plus several bodies, all to be released in a single operation. One source said Palestinian terrorist factions have informed mediators that the handover may begin Sunday.
However, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told AFP on Saturday that prisoner exchanges will proceed “on Monday morning as agreed,” denying any new developments.
According to the deal, the 20 surviving hostages will be released first - potentially all at once to the International Committee of the Red Cross, rather than in stages at different locations - followed by the return of the bodies of those killed in captivity. Israeli officials, however, are also bracing for potential delays or breaches of the agreement, acknowledging that Hamas may not release all of the deceased hostages by the deadline.
Meanwhile, plans in Israel to receive returning hostages have been underway since the IDF’s drawdown from Gaza triggered a 72-hour release window. A senior Israeli official said the process could begin at any moment, with full readiness across all relevant agencies. He emphasized that Hamas is obligated to complete the handover by Monday at noon.
Because the freed captives are expected to be in fragile condition after two years in captivity, Israel’s medical system is on high alert. Teams of doctors will be deployed at the reception sites to make real-time decisions, and three hospitals — Tel Aviv’s Sourasky, Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva — are prepared to receive the returnees.
Meanwhile, all families of the hostages have been contacted by their assigned intelligence officers with updated assessments of their loved ones’ status. Israeli officials say that once the living hostages are returned, an international task force - composed of representatives from the United States, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Israel - will focus on locating the remains of those still missing. The mission will consolidate intelligence from all participating countries to locate and recover the bodies of slain hostages held in Gaza.