ISTANBUL

Hamas' military wing Al-Qassam Brigades announced on Friday the names of six Israeli captives set to be released on Saturday as part of the seventh batch in the ongoing prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.

In a statement, Al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Obeida said: “As part of the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ prisoner exchange deal, the following Israeli captives will be released tomorrow (Saturday): Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed.”

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement consists of three stages, each lasting 42 days, with negotiations required before advancing to the next phase. However, Israel has delayed talks for the second phase, which was scheduled to begin on Feb. 3.

Under the first phase, Israel is set to receive 33 captives, both living and deceased. So far, it has recovered 19 captives alive and four bodies.

On Saturday, six more captives will be released, followed by four additional bodies next week, marking the conclusion of this stage of the agreement.

In return, Israel has released 1,135 Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences.

Another 602 prisoners are expected to be freed in the coming two weeks, bringing the total number of released Palestinians under the first phase to 1,737.

The ceasefire deal took effect last month, pausing Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed at least 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.