Hamas to release four Israeli women hostages on Saturday in prisoner exchange

Hamas has confirmed it will release four Israeli women hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nunu. This will mark the second such exchange under the ongoing ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

Nunu told AFP on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement would free “four Israeli female detainees in exchange” for a group of Palestinian prisoners.

The announcement follows previous uncertainty regarding the timing of the release. Earlier this week, Nahed Al-Fakhouri, head of Hamas’ prisoners’ media office, had stated that hostages would be released on Sunday, a day later than initially planned.

The release is part of a broader ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the 15-month war in Gaza. Over the coming weeks, Hamas is expected to release more than 90 hostages as part of this deal, while Israel will release Palestinian prisoners and detainees in return.

Hamas had earlier announced that the next group of hostages would be freed seven days after the ceasefire took effect, with Saturday now confirmed as the planned date for the release. This exchange follows the initial release of hostages under the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached earlier this month.