News / Palestine

Hamas says 4 Israeli women to be released in return for 200 Palestinians

Tuesday, 21 January 2025 4:14 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 21 January 2025 4:44 PM ]

Hamas fighters hand over Israeli captives to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal with Israel, Gaza City, January 19, 2025. (Via Reuters)

Israel is expected to release 200 Palestinians in exchange for four female Israeli soldiers, a Hamas media official says.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by Nader Fakhouri, an official with the Prisoners Media Office affiliated with Hamas.

Fakhouri said, "The second part of the first phase of the Palestinian resistance factions' agreement with the Israeli occupation will begin on January 25."

"On Saturday, the resistance will announce the names of Israeli prisoners to be released, and in return, the (Israeli) occupation will provide a list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed."

"Based on these two lists, the actual implementation will take place on Sunday, January 26, with the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handing over of Israeli prisoners."

Taher al-Nunu, another Hamas official confirmed that four Israeli women will be freed in exchange for a second group of Palestinians.

The ceasefire took effect on January 19. Israel released 90 Palestinian abductees as part of the first phase of the ceasefire. All the Palestinians were freed from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

Hamas says it is committed to the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Hamas says committed to Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel

Hamas says it will fully commit to implementing the terms of the agreement which will see the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Trump 'not confident' Israel-Gaza ceasefire will hold

US President Donald Trump, who claimed credit for the hard-won ceasefire agreement, now says he is "not confident" that the Gaza ceasefire will hold as it enters the third day.

Responding to questions from a reporter, Trump said: "That's not our war, it's their war. But I'm not confident."

Trump has made clear he would support Israel, and in one of his first acts as president, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.

But Qatar, which helped mediate the ceasefire, has called for a UN resolution on the full implementation of the ceasefire deal.

Qatar’s representative to the UN, Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, called on the international body to help ensure the success of the deal, including by passing a binding resolution to that end.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s opposition to any attempts to “undermine a sustainable resolution to the Palestinian issue, including attempts to annex Palestinian territory and violate religious sanctities.”

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