CAIRO, February 21. /TASS/. Abu Ubayda, spokesman for the Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has published a list on his Telegram channel of hostages held in the enclave who are scheduled to be released on February 22.

The list includes Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Tal Shoham who were abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed who have been held in the Gaza Strip since 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Tensions erupted again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border settlements and seizing hostages. In response, Israel has initiated a military operation in the enclave in order to dismantle Hamas’ military and political structure and rescue all those kidnapped.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on January 15 that thanks to the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement to implement a ceasefire in Gaza and release the hostages held in the enclave. The agreement, which includes three phases, entered into force on January 19. During the 42-day first phase of the deal, Hamas is to release 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.

By now, 19 surviving hostages have returned to Israel. Additionally, on February 20, Hamas handed over to the Red Cross the bodies of four other kidnapped Israelis, including three members of the Bibas family: infant Kfir, his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri. Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of a "cruel and evil violation of the agreement." According to the Israeli side, a forensic examination determined that instead of the body of Shiri Bibas, the Palestinian militants had handed over the remains of an unidentified Gazan woman.