Gaza: Hamas announced Friday the names of the next four hostages it plans to release the following day as part of a fragile ceasefire deal with Israel, which has halted fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks. There was no immediate confirmation of the names from Israel.
According to the deal, Israel will next publish a list of which Palestinian prisoners it will release this weekend. The first exchange took place Sunday with the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners.
Dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are set to be freed, while more humanitarian aid flows into Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinians displaced from war-battered northern Gaza are facing an agonizing wait before the days-old ceasefire there allows them to go back to what remains of their homes.
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The ministry doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians. The war was sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people.
