Palestinian armed group Hamas will release four female hostages on the 25th (local time) in the second exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, AFP reported on the 21st.
Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu told AFP on the third day of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "Four Israeli female hostages will be released on the 25th in exchange for the second group of Palestinian detainees."
Hamas had previously agreed to gradually release a total of 33 hostages during the six-week ceasefire period, including releasing three female hostages on the first day of the ceasefire on the 19th. In response, Israel approved the release of a total of 737 detainees, including 90 Palestinian prisoners released on the first day of the ceasefire. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, 1,067 detainees are also expected to be released during the ceasefire period, bringing the total number of Palestinians to be released during the six-week first phase of the ceasefire to approximately 1,900.
The essence of this agreement is that after the six-week first phase of the ceasefire ends, additional negotiations for the second and third phases will follow, aiming for a permanent ceasefire that includes Israeli troop withdrawal and the release of all hostages.
Donald Trump, who claimed credit for the narrowly achieved ceasefire, expressed doubts about the long-term feasibility of the ceasefire agreement, saying he has "no confidence." However, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the mediator of the ceasefire, reportedly expressed confidence, believing that both Israel and Hamas will implement the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military anti-terror operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on the same day.
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