Hamas is set to release three more Israeli hostages and five Thai captives on Thursday as part of the ongoing exchange agreement with Israel.
In return, Israel will free 110 Palestinian prisoners.
This marks the third such swap since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took effect earlier this month.
The truce, which aims to de-escalate the bloodiest and most devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas, has remained in place despite disagreements earlier in the week over the release sequence of hostages.
Among the Israelis set for release are 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud, 20-year-old Agam Berger—who was abducted with four other female soldiers freed last Saturday—and 80-year-old Gadi Moses.
The names of the Thai nationals have not yet been disclosed.
Several foreign workers were taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war.
Among them were 23 Thai citizens, who were part of the more than 100 hostages freed during a ceasefire in November 2023. According to Israel, eight Thai nationals remain in captivity.
In this latest prisoner release, 30 of the Palestinians being freed were serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis.
Also among those set for release is Zakaria Zubeidi, a well-known former militant leader and theater director, who participated in a high-profile jailbreak in 2021 before being recaptured days later.
Israel had expected Yehoud to be released on Saturday but delayed the opening of crossings into northern Gaza when she was not included in the swap.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar—who mediated the ceasefire after a year of complex negotiations—brokered a resolution, leading to an agreement for Yehoud and two other hostages to be freed Thursday.
Another three hostages, all men, are expected to be released on Saturday, alongside dozens more Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Israel has started allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, the most heavily damaged area of the territory.
Since Monday, hundreds of thousands have made their way back, many only to find their homes reduced to rubble.
Under the ceasefire agreement’s first phase, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 hostages, including women, children, elderly individuals, and wounded or sick men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel reported that Hamas has confirmed eight of these hostages are already dead.
Palestinians have welcomed the prisoner releases, seeing them as heroes who have sacrificed for their struggle against Israel’s decades-long control over territories they seek for a future state.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn from most of Gaza, allowing humanitarian aid groups to deliver much-needed assistance.
The deal also lays the groundwork for a second phase, where negotiations will continue for the release of remaining hostages in exchange for an indefinite extension of the ceasefire.
However, if no agreement is reached, the war is expected to resume in early March.
Despite the truce, Israel remains committed to dismantling Hamas, even as the militant group quickly reestablished its authority in Gaza once the ceasefire began.
Within Israel, a key far-right faction in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is already pushing for an immediate resumption of military operations once the initial phase of the ceasefire concludes.
Hamas, however, has made it clear that it will not release the remaining hostages unless the war ends entirely and Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza.
The United States, a crucial supporter of Israel both militarily and diplomatically, is seen as playing a key role in resolving the conflict.
United States President, Donald Trump, has been a staunch backer of Israel but has also expressed a desire to end conflicts in the Middle East.
Trump’s envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, was in Israel on Wednesday and met with Netanyahu.
The Israeli prime minister is set to visit Washington next week, becoming the first foreign leader to meet with Trump in his second term.
The war erupted when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages.
Israel’s military response has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, with women and children making up over half the casualties.
However, the ministry does not specify how many of the dead were combatants.
The Israeli military claims it has eliminated over 17,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided evidence for these figures.
It also maintains that its forces took extensive measures to minimize civilian casualties, blaming Hamas for embedding military infrastructure within residential neighborhoods, schools, and mosques.
Entire districts in Gaza have been reduced to rubble, and it remains unclear how or when reconstruction will begin. An estimated 90% of the enclave’s population has been displaced, many forced to relocate multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands are now living in dire conditions, crowded into makeshift tent camps and repurposed school buildings.
