Who are the hostages being released?
The 33 hostages being released in the first phase include female soldiers and civilians, children, men over age 50 and sick and wounded “humanitarian” cases.
Three hostages — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher — were released on the first day of the cease-fire in exchange for about 90 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said on Friday that it would release four female soldiers held hostage for over a year in Gaza, as part of a hostage-for-prisoner swap set to take place on Saturday.
Hamas identified the four women as Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; and Liri Albag, 19. All four were abducted from the military base near Gaza where they served during the Hamas-led attack that began the war.
Israel said mediators had passed along a list of names of hostages set to be released on Saturday, without confirming their identities. It remained unclear whether the four named by Hamas would ultimately be freed.
How do the releases work?
The releases are staggered, according to the plan. On the first day, Hamas released hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Saturday, the seventh day, four female living hostages will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
From the 14th day through the fifth week of the agreement, Palestinian prisoners will be released every seven days in exchange for three male and female hostages.
The remaining hostages agreed to in the first phase will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the sixth week.
Also during the sixth week, once all 33 hostages have been freed and returned to Israel, Israel will release 47 prisoners who were rearrested after being released in a 2011 deal that saw over 1,000 Palestinians freed in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The Israeli authorities have established three reception points to receive the hostages along the Gaza border, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with protocol. Those reception points will have Israeli soldiers, doctors and psychologists, said the official.
How many Palestinian prisoners will be freed?
More than 1,000 — meaning the initial deal will most likely become one of the largest prisoner exchanges in Israeli history if completed.
Of the dozens of Palestinians in Israel who will be released for each hostage in the initial six-week phase, some are serving life sentences.
According to the agreement, the release of a living female hostage or civilian under the age of 18 requires the release of 30 Palestinian female or minor prisoners.
The two sides will swap each Israeli civilian man who is 50 or older and is alive for 30 Palestinian prisoners. An Israeli female soldier who is alive requires the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for nine Israeli male civilians who are wounded or sick.
Israel will also release about 1,000 Gazans who were detained over the course of the war, on the condition that they did not participate in the Hamas-led attack of October 2023.
How many hostages were released before the cease-fire?
Some 105 hostages — mostly women and children — were freed in November 2023 during a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Early in the war, Hamas unilaterally released four hostages — two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women. Israel has also freed eight hostages in military operations, at least one of which was accompanied by devastating bombing and high Palestinian casualties.
The bodies of more than 35 others were brought back to Israel in various operations over the course of the war, according to the Israeli government.
How many American hostages are left in Gaza?
In a speech this month, Antony J. Blinken, then secretary of state, said seven of the 12 Americans abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, were still being held captive. They include Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was abducted from his hometown, Nir Oz, near the Gaza border during the Hamas-led attack. Another, Edan Alexander, was spotted in an undated Hamas hostage video in November.
Some, like Itay Chen, a 19-year-old soldier, and Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old tank commander from Long Island, N.Y., are presumed dead by the Israeli authorities. Hamas continues to hold their bodies as bargaining chips for future swaps, Israel says.
Ephrat Livni and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.
