Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced the release of hostages and prisoners scheduled for Saturday, February 15, as part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Although Israeli authorities have yet to confirm the news, Hamas’s Office for Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs stated on Friday that:

• Israel will release 369 Palestinian prisoners, including:
  • 36 serving life sentences
  • 333 prisoners from Gaza detained after October 7, 2023
• Hamas will free three Israeli hostages, namely:
  • Iair Horn, an Argentinian-Israeli kidnapped with his brother on October 7, 2023
  • Alexander Trufanov, a Russian-Israeli
  • Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American-Israeli

Additionally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad indicated that they might release one more person on the same day, although they did not clarify whether this would be one of the three confirmed by Hamas or an additional fourth release.

This upcoming exchange marks the sixth prisoner and hostage swap since the ceasefire agreement took effect on January 15, 2025. So far, the agreement has facilitated the release of:

• 16 Israelis
• 5 Thai hostages
• Over 500 Palestinian prisoners

The ceasefire has also allowed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and supported the return of thousands of displaced people to northern Gaza.

The announcement comes after a week of uncertainty, amid accusations of ceasefire violations by Israel and Hamas’s threats to suspend hostage releases.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump have publicly expressed intentions to evacuate the entire Palestinian territory, hinting at a potential U.S. takeover of Gaza—a move that has been met with strong resistance from Palestinian factions and the international community.

The success of this prisoner exchange may be critical in maintaining the fragile ceasefire and advancing diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups.

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