Hamas published on Friday the names of three more hostages for release, signaling that an impasse over the immediate future of the cease-fire with Israel had been overcome.
The three men are set to be freed on Saturday as part of a series of exchanges between Israel and Hamas. A Hamas statement named them as Alexander Troufanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Yair Horn. Mr. Dekel-Chen is one of the last remaining American Israeli citizens held in Gaza.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group aligned with Hamas, had earlier announced on Friday that it would free Mr. Troufanov, a Russian Israeli dual national who was abducted alongside his mother, girlfriend and grandmother during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
The Israeli government did not immediately comment.
Hamas had said this week that it would indefinitely suspend the release, claiming that Israel had violated the truce. After mediation by Qatar and Egypt, the group said on Thursday that it was ready to move ahead provided that Israel upheld its own commitments.
The multistage cease-fire deal signed in January is intended to stop the devastating fighting in Gaza. It stipulates an initial 42-day truce, during which Hamas will free at least 33 hostages in exchange for over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has said that Israel breached the agreement by continuing to send troops beyond the cease-fire lines and by not allowing in enough shelters for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
At least 60,000 prefabricated housing units and 200,000 tents should be delivered to Gaza during the first phase of the deal, in addition to equipment for rubble clearance, according to a copy of the agreement’s text seen by The New York Times.
As of Friday, it remained unclear whether Israel had recommitted to allowing the supplies to enter Gaza. Omer Dostri, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, said on Thursday that Israel was not allowing in prefabricated housing or heavy construction equipment, without explaining the rationale. He did not say whether that might change.
The wrangling has prompted further pessimism over whether the cease-fire will last. The first phase is set to expire in early March, and Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on terms to extend the agreement.
Israel and Hamas were supposed to begin indirect talks over the second phase of the cease-fire deal last week, including an end to the war, the release of the remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
But on Thursday, Mr. Dostri said that Israel was “not currently conducting negotiations over the second phase of the deal.” Mr. Netanyahu has faced pressure from members of his right-wing governing coalition to resume the fight against Hamas after the six weeks are up.
Content Source: www.nytimes.com