Hamas, after delay, names next Israeli hostages to be freed

Disagreement over humanitarian aid led to a hiccup in the three-week-old ceasefire as questions remain about the fate of Middle East conflict’s youngest hostages.

Hamas released the names of the next three Israeli hostages it plans to free, after a delay that had raised concerns about progress in the fragile ceasefire amid a dispute over the flow of humanitarian goods into the enclave.

The militant group said it would free Or Levy, 34, who was taken from the Nova music festival; and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Eli Sharabi, 52, who were kidnapped from their homes in Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border. The exchange of hostages for 183 Palestinian prisoners is to take place Saturday. The list was accepted by Israel.

The fate of the Bibas babies and their mother remains unknown.

Yarden Bibas, 35, was released by Hamas last weekend, but the family is still waiting for clarity about the fate of Mr Bibas’s wife Shiri and their sons Kfir, 2 and Ariel, 5. The little family has become a symbol of the Israeli hostages still in captivity, amid increasing fears the children and their mother have died in captivity.

Hamas released Israeli captive Yarden Bibas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, last Saturday. Picture: Haitham Imad/Shutterstock/WSJ

Hamas held up the latest names for hours after they were expected, complaining Israel has failed to meet commitments to allow mobile homes, tents, fuel and construction equipment to be brought into the enclave, where many buildings have been flattened and most of the population of around two million has been displaced and is living in makeshift shelter.

Supplies of food have increased significantly, but delays in goods that could help with housing during the cold season have been an issue since the early days of the deal, Arab mediators have said.

Under the agreement, Israel is supposed to facilitate the entry of 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents for Gazans, but hasn’t done so, Arab mediators said. An Israeli official said Israel had supplied even more tents than it had committed to.

Both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the deal. Despite the accusations, exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners have continued without either side pulling out of the agreement.

The hiccup in the ceasefire came days after President Trump surprised mediators and some members of his own staff by saying the US would take over Gaza and develop it as an international destination after removing its roughly two million inhabitants while the devastated territory is rebuilt.

Arab governments and Hamas have pushed back at the idea, saying it undermines Palestinian rights and creates security risks in the countries that are being pressed to take them in.

The idea drew praise from many Israeli lawmakers. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare a plan for Gazans to leave voluntarily to countries that would accept them.

Hostage families said that they were left confused and worried about the impact of Trump’s announcement on the ceasefire.

“We were all shocked by the announcement,” said Herut Nimrodi, the mother of Tamir Nimrodi, a now-20-year-old hostage in Gaza. Tamir, who is an Israeli soldier, is set to be released as part of the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

“As a parent to a hostage, my initial fear of course is how this will impact the next stage,” his mother said.

More than 75 hostages remain in Gaza, with more than 30 of them dead, according to Israel. Families of hostages continue to campaign for their release in weekly protests to put pressure on all sides to free their loved ones and for the ceasefire to hold.

Palestinian children sat on a sand mound overlooking tents set up amid destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, on Thursday. Picture: Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images

Two living American hostages remain in Gaza. One is a male civilian, and the other is an Israeli soldier. The bodies of four dead American hostages also remain in Gaza.

The US, one of the key mediators of the current truce, has said it is determined to see all the hostages released and has been shuttling top officials to the region. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia next week, a State Department official said.

As part of the 42-day first phase of the agreement, Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli hostages – humanitarian cases including women, children, the elderly and the wounded, as well as dead bodies – in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

So far, 13 Israeli hostages, in addition to five Thai citizens, have been released by Hamas, leaving another 20 expected to be freed in the coming weeks.

Negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire were supposed to begin Monday, according to the agreement, but have yet to do so. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Washington this week to meet Trump and other top US officials. He said he would send a delegation to Doha for talks this weekend and convene the Israeli security cabinet upon his return.

The disagreement over shelter comes ahead of another critical point in the deal, with Israeli military forces set to leave a strategic corridor bisecting the Gaza strip on Sunday. The Netzarim corridor which Israel expanded throughout the war into a sprawling security zone, is considered by Israel to be an important military asset. It is no longer clear if the withdrawal will take place as scheduled.

– Saleh al-Batati and Suha Ma’ayeh contributed to this article.

Dow Jones Newswires