Capitals: Europe and the Arabs - Agencies
On Saturday, Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. This operation comes within the framework of a prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of 369 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Hamas stated that the hostages handed over today to the Red Cross are: Yair Horn, 46 years old and an Argentine citizen, Sagi Dekel Han, 36 years old and an American citizen, and Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov, 29 years old and a Russian citizen.
It indicated that it is waiting for Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol, based on the guarantees provided by the mediators, stressing that the release of more Israeli detainees is contingent on Israel's commitment to all the terms of the agreement. According to the European news network Euronews in Brussels
In a related context, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 prisoners sentenced to life. Of these, 24 prisoners will be deported outside the Palestinian territories, while the number includes 333 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7, 2023.

This operation was the sixth in a series of exchanges that have taken place since the truce went into effect on January 19, with 21 hostages released so far in exchange for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas confirmed that it is waiting for Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol, based on the guarantees provided by the mediators, stressing that the release of more Israeli detainees is contingent on Israel’s commitment to all the terms of the agreement.

It also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of procrastinating and evading his obligations in order to preserve his political position, stressing that it will not allow the agreement to fail.

Politically, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that talks on the second phase of the agreement had begun between Netanyahu, US envoy Steven Witkoff, and Egyptian officials.
According to Israeli reports, Washington and Tel Aviv are seeking to extend the first phase with the aim of releasing more Israeli hostages, without linking this to the negotiations of the second phase, which includes a complete cessation of the war. In light of the internal division over the course of the negotiations, a poll conducted by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority revealed that 55% of Israelis support the release of all hostages in Gaza regardless of the price, while 36% believe that resuming military operations is the solution to eliminating Hamas.