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Israel on High Alert Ahead of Next Hostage Release as Hamas Fails to Deliver List of Names on Time
Families and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas gather to demand a deal that will bring back all the hostages held in Gaza, outside a meeting between hostage representatives and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
As Israel prepares for the fifth wave of hostages to be released under the recently brokered ceasefire with Hamas on Saturday, the nation remains vigilant against potential violations by the Palestinian terrorist group.
A significant aspect of the ceasefire agreement involves the IDF’s planned withdrawal from the Netzarim corridor, a strategic area that bisects the Gaza Strip. If the process proceeds without incident, the military intends to complete this withdrawal by Sunday, signaling a step toward de-escalation.
However, the Israeli military on Friday said that it had bolstered its presence at key points within the Gaza Strip. The Southern Command’s leadership has conducted multiple field assessments alongside frontline soldiers to ensure readiness for any unforeseen developments during the hostage transfer process.
Israel’s defense ministry said that any violation of the agreement will be dealt with severely.
Hamas claimed that Israel had not fulfilled its side of the deal in transferring humanitarian aid, but Israel denied the claim, saying that 12,600 trucks of aid had arrived in Gaza since the beginning of the deal’s implementation on Jan. 19.
Israel was slated to receive the list of hostages scheduled for release in the fifth wave on Friday, but Hamas delayed announcing the names of the three Israelis due to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, who were largely detained for terrorist activity.
Unlike previous exchanges, Hamas has not committed to a specific category of hostages for this round, adding a layer of uncertainty and tension for the families awaiting news.
Israel is exerting diplomatic pressure on mediators to prioritize the release of Shiri Bibas and her young children, Kfir and Ariel.
The forthcoming hostage releases over the next month under phase one of the ceasefire deal are expected to include 20 individuals: seven adults over the age of 50, ten identified as sick or wounded, and three members of the Bibas family.
The list of sick or wounded individuals includes American-Israeli Sagi Dekel-Chen.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war in Gaza when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages during their invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in the neighboring enclave. The conflict raged for nearly 16 months until both sides agreed to last month’s ceasefire and hostage-release deal, the first phase of which is set to last six weeks.
During phase one, Hamas is supposed to inform Israel of the next hostages to be freed 24 hours before their release.
US President Donald Trump’s new proposal to “take over” Gaza has introduced a contentious element into the fragile ceasefire agreement.
Critics argue that the plan could undermine the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but others say it will only strengthen Israel’s position. An unnamed Hamas official cited by Israel’s Channel 12 said that the terrorist group would see how the plan develops before deciding to change the terms of the deal. Nonetheless, the official said that the “takeover” proposal would not thwart the first phase of the plan.
Seventy-nine hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Upon the conclusion of the initial phase of the agreement, 59 hostages will still be held in Gaza, with 35 already declared deceased.
The post Israel on High Alert Ahead of Next Hostage Release as Hamas Fails to Deliver List of Names on Time first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.