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A senior Hamas official told AFP on Saturday that the release of 48 hostages, mostly Israelis, held in Gaza by Palestinian militants, is scheduled to start on Monday morning.
“According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter,” Osama Hamdan said, adding that militants on the ground have yet to provide the movement’s leadership with details on the logistics of the handover.
Under the first stage of the US-mediated ceasefire deal, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian detainees following the return of the hostages.
Hamdan said the list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed remains under negotiation, with Israel refusing to release certain names.
He added that Hamas’s negotiating delegation is working to finalise the list, expected by Saturday night or Sunday morning at the latest.
The agreement also provides for the reopening of five entry points for humanitarian aid. Hamdan noted that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen for individuals in both directions from Wednesday.
Italy stated that it will oversee the Rafah crossing from Tuesday as part of an EU monitoring mission, with police support from Italy, Spain and France.
