Israelis await names of next 4 hostages to be released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Relatives of hostages still being held by militants in Gaza called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday to ensure all remaining captives are freed, while also appealing to U.S. President Donald Trump to continue pressing for their release.

As a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terror organization, entered its sixth day, Israelis waited anxiously for the names of the next four hostages who will be released from among the more than 90 still held in Gaza.

In the Palestinian enclave, civilians in the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip hoping to return to the remnants of their home in the battered north faced an agonizing wait.

Israel believes about a third, or possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages still in Gaza have died. Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of those who have died.

“Dear President Trump, first of all we want to say thank you for the happy moments we felt this week. But we want to tell you we still have 94 hostages, we need them all at home,” said Ayelet Samerano, whose son Yonatan Samerano is among those still being held. “Please do not stop. Please continue to press and do everything so that all the 94 hostages will come home immediately.”

In the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 hostages are expected to be released gradually in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The first three Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of the ceasefire that has halted the 15-month war that has devastated Gaza. 

According to the deal, on Friday Hamas is to announce the names of the next four hostages to be released on Saturday, after which Israel will also release a list of which Palestinian prisoners will be freed.

The hostages were among about 250 men, women, and children captured by terrorists who burst across the border into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people in an attack that sparked the war in Gaza. About 100 were released during a brief ceasefire in November of that year, while the bodies of around three dozen hostages have been recovered in Gaza and eight hostages have been rescued by the army.

“I call from here to the Prime Minister and negotiating team -- you’re doing excellent work -- do whatever is necessary to bring everyone back, to the last hostage,” Samerano said. “We ask you to ensure phase two of the deal is agreed upon before finishing the current phrase. We cannot continue living in uncertainty. All hostages must return, and none of them has time left.”

The 33 to be released in the first phase will include women, children, sick people, and those over 50 — almost all civilians, though the deal also commits Hamas to freeing all living female soldiers in Phase 1. Hamas will release living hostages first, but could release some bodies if they don’t have enough living hostages in this category. Male soldiers are not expected to be released in the first phase.

“This week we were moved to watch images of mothers embracing their daughters, but our hearts break thinking that my son Nimrod and other men remain behind, and each day they’re there poses a real danger to their lives,” said Vicky Cohen, whose son Nimrod Cohen is among the hostages. “The worry that the deal won’t be fully implemented gnaws at us all. All senior officials openly say that stopping the deal means a death sentence for those left behind.”