Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages it said it would release this weekend in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the latest in a tense series of steps outlined in a cease-fire deal with Israel that has now held for nearly three weeks.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, identified the three men as Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34; and Ohad Ben-Ami, 56. All three men were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war in Gaza.
Hamas published the three names later than anticipated, raising concerns that the agreement had hit a roadblock. By Friday evening, Israeli government officials said they had received the list and informed the men’s families.
Since the cease-fire went into effect, it has been buffeted by several crises as both sides have accused the other of violating the agreement. This time, Israel accused Hamas of not releasing the names at the agreed upon time. Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of breaching the cease-fire by preventing sufficient aid deliveries as outlined by the deal. Israeli officials did not comment on Hamas’s specific claim, but said they are committed to upholding the agreement.
In this first phase of the cease-fire, slated to last 42 days, Hamas has pledged to release at least 33 hostages in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. In three previous exchanges, about 18 hostages have been freed for more than 550 Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinian officials were expected on Friday night to publish the names of dozens of Palestinian prisoners slated for release by Israel. Under the deal, at least some of the prisoners to be released are serving life sentences for committing deadly attacks.
The truce has paused more than a year of devastating warfare that began with the attack on Israel, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage, mostly civilians. More than 70 captives remain in Gaza, at least 35 of whom are believed to be dead, according to the Israeli government.
In response, Israel launched a campaign against Hamas in Gaza that killed more than 45,000 people, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Palestinians in the enclave have lived through a year of hunger and fear; many no longer have homes to which they can return.
Israel and Hamas have both committed to negotiating a longer-lasting end to the fighting and the release of the remaining living hostages. But it remains unclear whether the two sides can reach such an accord, which would force them both to make painful concessions.
This week, President Trump — whose administration helped mediate the cease-fire — proposed removing Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinian residents and the United States taking over the enclave. Some analysts viewed his remarks as an effort to kick-start the negotiations, while others said his far-reaching ideas could torpedo them.
Mr. Sharabi, one of the hostages slated for release, lived in Be’eri, an Israeli community near the Gaza border that was hard-hit by the Hamas attack. His wife and two daughters were killed in the assault. His brother Yossi was also taken as a hostage to Gaza, where he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military later told his family.
Also from Be’eri, Mr. Ben-Ami was taken hostage alongside his wife, Raz Ben-Ami. She was freed alongside more than 100 other captives during a weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in November 2023.
Mr. Levy and his wife, Eynav Elkayam Levy, had left their two-year-old son in the care of Mr. Levy’s parents before heading south to the Nova music festival, which was being held just a few miles from the Gaza border. During the Hamas attack, the rave became a massacre. More than 300 people there were killed, including Ms. Elkayam Levy. Mr. Levy, like dozens of others at the scene, was taken to the Gaza Strip.
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