Israel, Hamas poised for third hostage-prisoner exchange

Israel and Hamas are set to carry out their third prisoner exchange Thursday, with three Israelis and five Thai citizens expected to be released as part of a ceasefire agreement aimed at halting the war in Gaza.

In exchange, Israel will release 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 minors, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group.

A fourth exchange is scheduled for the weekend, but Hamas accused Israel on Wednesday of delaying aid deliveries, a claim Israeli officials rejected as false.

Four Israeli female soldiers, Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev, are released by Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, January 25, 2025.Hamas handout via Reuters

Third-round

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office identified the three Israelis to be released as Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Moses. Five Thai citizens held in Gaza will also be freed.

So far, Hamas has exchanged seven Israelis for 290 Palestinian prisoners. A fourth swap, planned for Saturday, is expected to include three Israeli men, Netanyahu’s office said.

Dispute over aid deliveries

The temporary ceasefire, which took effect Jan. 19, has allowed humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the war has caused severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

Hamas officials accused Israel of slowing aid deliveries, saying fuel, tents, heavy machinery, and other equipment had not entered Gaza as promised.

A freed Palestinian prisoner is greeted after being released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 25, 2025.Reuters

"According to the agreement, these materials were supposed to enter during the first week of the ceasefire," a Hamas official said, warning that continued delays could impact the prisoner exchanges.

Israel denied the claim, with a spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing Palestinian civilian affairs, calling it "totally fake news." According to Israel, 3,000 aid trucks entered Gaza between Sunday and Wednesday morning, though the agreement reportedly called for 4,200 trucks over a week.

A truck driver talks with a worker as he waits to go through the Rafah border crossing to enter the Gaza Strip, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, January 28, 2025. Reuters

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the full terms of the ceasefire deal have not been publicly disclosed, making independent verification of the aid commitments difficult.

Long-term war plans

The current ceasefire agreement is in its initial 42-day phase, during which 33 hostages are expected to be released. The next phase would involve negotiations on a lasting end to the conflict, while a final stage could include the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of hostages’ remains.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken credit for helping broker the deal, despite its implementation occurring just before his inauguration. His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday. Trump has invited Netanyahu to the White House on Feb. 4.

Four female Israeli soldiers, who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are released by Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, January 25, 2025.Reuters

Palestinian displacement concerns

As part of discussions on Gaza’s future, Trump previously suggested relocating Palestinians to neighboring countries, an idea that has faced widespread opposition.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday called forced displacement of Palestinians an "injustice that we cannot take part in." Jordan’s King Abdullah II also opposed the idea, emphasizing the need to protect Palestinian rights under a two-state solution.

Palestinian woman Umm Ali hugs her son-in-law, who, along with his wife, Umm Ali's daughter Souad Atallah, was displaced to the south at Israel's order during the war, upon their return to northern Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, January 27, 2025.Reuters

More than 376,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since Israel reopened access earlier this week, according to the United Nations humanitarian office. Many have returned to destroyed homes and difficult living conditions.

"My house is destroyed," said Mohammed Al-Faleh, 33, who built a makeshift shelter using rubble from his former home. "We are facing great difficulties. The biggest problem is that there is no water... there is no gas or electricity."