War between Israel and Hamas: what do we know about the 13 hostages who could be released this Friday

The truce between Israel and Hamas will begin this Friday at 7am local time (6am French time). Thirteen people kidnapped on October 7 are to be released, Qatar’s foreign ministry said at a conference cited by Al Jazeera, in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of fifty Palestinian prisoners.

The thirteen hostages held in the Gaza Strip – women and children only – are due to be released at 16:00 and 15:00 French time. “However, the time will depend on the security conditions in the place where they are located,” said Qatari ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari. There should not be military men among them.

The Red Cross must ensure their transport to Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, before handing them over to the “Israeli side,” according to a Palestinian official quoted by AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X (formerly Twitter) that he has the first list of names. “Officials are checking the details of the list and are in contact with all families,” he added. He did not specify whether he was talking about all the hostages, all the people who could be freed, or the first potentially injured on Friday. In total, 240 people were kidnapped on the day of the attack.

In a press release published on the government’s website, the Jewish state indicates that the list of names should not be published until the hostages are released.

The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed the statements of the Qatari representative. The truce “will last four days, starting Friday morning, and includes a complete cessation of hostilities,” the statement said.

A total of fifty hostages are to be released within a four-day truce, according to an agreement reached by Qatar, a key mediator with Egypt and the US, against 150 Palestinians being held in three Israeli prisons.

“A certain number of civilians will be released every day, and the number is scheduled to reach 50 by the end of four days,” Majed al-Ansari told a news conference.

Last minute discussions

A Palestinian official, who requested anonymity, told AFP on Thursday morning that discussions had “at the last minute” delayed the start of application of the agreement, originally scheduled for Thursday.

The focus was “the names of the Israeli hostages and the terms of their transfer” to a third party, a source close to the negotiations said.

At first it was proposed to “transfer them through the Red Cross for transportation to Egypt,” which borders the Gaza Strip, and then transfer them to “the Israeli side,” the official explained.

“It was then proposed that there should first be a medical visit by Red Cross officials to check on the health of the hostages,” followed by a visit to the other civilian hostages “to check on their health,” he added.

Throughout the truce, Israel must ensure freedom of movement for people, Hamas demanded. The agreement also requires Israeli aircraft to stop flying over the southern Gaza Strip for four days and over the northern Gaza Strip for six hours each day, and increase the number of humanitarian convoys and fuel supplies entering the besieged Gaza Strip.