Hamas violates hostage deal by delaying next release of hostages

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Hamas has violated the terms of the hostage deal by delaying the next release of captives from Saturday to Sunday.

The terror group announced on Monday that the next four hostages would be released to Israel next Sunday rather than on Saturday, as previously agreed.

Hamas spokesperson Nahed Fakhoury said, “The second phase of the initial process will begin on Saturday, January 25, 2025. On this day, the resistance will submit the names of Israeli captives to be released, and in return, Israel will present a list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed. The exchange itself is scheduled to occur on Sunday, January 26, 2025, based on these lists.”

As with previous releases, the hostages are expected to be brought by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza before being transported to Israel to be reunited with their families and receive medical care.

Prior to the release of three female civilian hostages on Sunday, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, Hamas delayed releasing the names on Saturday afternoon, as required by the agreement.

Although the delay didn’t lead to a breakdown in the hostage deal, an Israeli official warned that such infractions by Hamas should not be frequent.

In the following weeks, 33 hostages are slated to be released, most of them women, children, men over 50, and ill hostages.

The 33 hostages are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Ohad Ben Ami, the four members of the Bibas family, Yarden, Shiri, Ariel, Kfir, Agam Berger, and Romi Gonen.

Other names include: Daniella Gilboa, Emily Damari, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Alexander Troufanov, Arbel Yehud, Ohad Yahalomi, Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Naama Levy, Oded Lifshitz, Gadi Moshe Mozes, Avera Mengistu, Shlomo Mansour, Keith Samuel Siegel, Tsahi Idan, Ofer Calderon, Tal Shoham, Doron Steinbrecher, Omer Shem-Tov, Itzik Elgarat, Hisham al-Sayed, and Eli Sharabi.