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183 Prisoners To Be Freed In Gaza Swap Saturday: Hamas
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages to be released Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The three Israelis Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas said.
The Hamas media office said Israel was expected to free 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, including 18 who have been serving life sentences, 54 serving long sentences and 111 who were detained in the Gaza Strip during the war.
The latest exchange comes amid backlash over US President Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, which has triggered an uproar across the region and beyond.
Earlier, Hamas accused Israel of breaching their ceasefire accord. It accused Israel of delaying the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies agreed under the truce deal that took effect on Jan 19, and holding back all but a fraction of the tents and mobile homes needed to provide shelter to people returning to their bombed-out homes.
"This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities," Hamas said in a statement.
Work on the second stage of the multi-phase agreement, aimed at securing the release of around 60 male hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, has begun.
Hamas said only 8,500 trucks out of the 12,000 that should have arrived so far had entered the territory, most containing food and secondary goods including chips and chocolate instead of more urgent items.
In addition, only 10% of the 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans needed to provide shelter had arrived, Hamas said, leaving hundreds of thousands in harsh winter weather.
Finally, heavy machinery needed to clear millions of tonnes of rubble and recover the thousands of bodies thought to be buried had not arrived.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are still marooned in tents and other makeshift shelters worn out by months of use as the fighting raged last year.
So far, despite accusations of ceasefire breaches levelled by both sides, the truce has held, leaving the way still open to an end to the war and rebuilding Gaza.
Meanwhile, Egypt said Friday it had been in contact with Arab partners including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to firm up the region's rejection of any displacement of Palestinians after Trump said they should go from Gaza.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had been in communication with counterparts from 11 nations, a statement said.
Those had emphasised "the constants of the Arab position on the Palestinian cause, rejecting any measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their land, or encouraging their transfer to other countries outside the Palestinian territories," it said.
Trump has suggested the US take control of Gaza from Israel. But Arab nations want to see a two-state solution with a separate Palestinian homeland alongside Israel.
Moving Palestinians would represent "flagrant violation of international law, an infringement on Palestinian rights, a threat to security and stability in the region and an undermining of opportunities for peace and coexistence among its peoples," Egypt's statement said.
Rather, Egypt was looking with other Arab nations at how to rebuild and clean up Gaza after Israel's military campaign decimated the strip.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said Egyptians would take to the streets to oppose resettling Palestinians.
The three Israelis Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas said.
The Hamas media office said Israel was expected to free 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, including 18 who have been serving life sentences, 54 serving long sentences and 111 who were detained in the Gaza Strip during the war.
The latest exchange comes amid backlash over US President Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, which has triggered an uproar across the region and beyond.
Earlier, Hamas accused Israel of breaching their ceasefire accord. It accused Israel of delaying the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies agreed under the truce deal that took effect on Jan 19, and holding back all but a fraction of the tents and mobile homes needed to provide shelter to people returning to their bombed-out homes.
"This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities," Hamas said in a statement.
Work on the second stage of the multi-phase agreement, aimed at securing the release of around 60 male hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, has begun.
Hamas said only 8,500 trucks out of the 12,000 that should have arrived so far had entered the territory, most containing food and secondary goods including chips and chocolate instead of more urgent items.
In addition, only 10% of the 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans needed to provide shelter had arrived, Hamas said, leaving hundreds of thousands in harsh winter weather.
Finally, heavy machinery needed to clear millions of tonnes of rubble and recover the thousands of bodies thought to be buried had not arrived.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are still marooned in tents and other makeshift shelters worn out by months of use as the fighting raged last year.
So far, despite accusations of ceasefire breaches levelled by both sides, the truce has held, leaving the way still open to an end to the war and rebuilding Gaza.
Meanwhile, Egypt said Friday it had been in contact with Arab partners including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to firm up the region's rejection of any displacement of Palestinians after Trump said they should go from Gaza.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had been in communication with counterparts from 11 nations, a statement said.
Those had emphasised "the constants of the Arab position on the Palestinian cause, rejecting any measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their land, or encouraging their transfer to other countries outside the Palestinian territories," it said.
Trump has suggested the US take control of Gaza from Israel. But Arab nations want to see a two-state solution with a separate Palestinian homeland alongside Israel.
Moving Palestinians would represent "flagrant violation of international law, an infringement on Palestinian rights, a threat to security and stability in the region and an undermining of opportunities for peace and coexistence among its peoples," Egypt's statement said.
Rather, Egypt was looking with other Arab nations at how to rebuild and clean up Gaza after Israel's military campaign decimated the strip.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said Egyptians would take to the streets to oppose resettling Palestinians.
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