Hamas Names Three Captives to be Released Saturday

By Staff, Agencies

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, has published the names of the three "Israeli" captives who will be released on Saturday.

Chief of al-Qassam Brigades Abu Obeida made the announcement in a post on his telegram channel on Friday. 

He said Ofer Calderon, Keith Siegel and Yarden Bibas will be freed as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and "Israel" that ended the latter's 15-month-long genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, "Israeli" officials said the families of the three captives have been notified.

A Palestinian advocacy group said that Israel is to free 90 inmates on Saturday in exchange for three "Israeli" captives.

"Ninety prisoners will be released tomorrow in exchange for the three "Israeli" detainees, nine of whom are serving life sentences and 81 of whom have long sentences," Palestinian Prisoners' Club spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh told AFP on Friday.

"Israel" launched its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The occupation entity failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing almost 47,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

"Israel" accepted Hamas’ longstanding negotiation terms under the Gaza truce, which began on January 19.