Only three hostages were expected to be released under the agreement on Saturday
Hamas will release six Israeli hostages this weekend as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal, exceeding the initial expectation of three. This brings the total released under phase one to 25 out of 33. Israel has reported eight of the remaining 14 hostages as dead. Hamas will also return four bodies, including the Bibas family, whom they claim were killed in an Israeli airstrike. In exchange, hundreds of Palestinians will be released. Hamas will retain around 70 captives, with half believed dead. Most captives have been released through ceasefire deals, and eight were rescued in military operations.
