As the Israel-Hamas truce enters day five, more hostages and Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Tuesday. The Palestinian militant group released 11 Israelis on Monday, bringing the total number of captives freed to 69, including foreign citizens.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday that Hamas has handed over a list of Israeli hostages set to be released on Tuesday, as part of an extended truce agreement reached earlier Monday.
"The list of hostages is currently being reviewed and notices are being delivered at this time to the families of those set to be freed," the statement said. However, the number of hostages who will be freed on Tuesday was not mentioned.
The fourth day of the truce deal also saw 33 Palestinians released from several Israeli prisons. So far, Israel has freed 150 Palestinians from prison, mainly women and minors, many of whom were detained but never charged.
On Monday, the government approved a list this evening of 50 female Palestinian prisoners marked for potential early release. The additional names bring to 350 the number of Palestinian prisoners selected for potential early release as part of the agreement.
One of the Palestinian prisoners to be released is prominent activist Ahed Tamimi who was arrested three weeks ago for posting on social media that Palestinians will "slaughter" settlers and "drink your blood."
“Our message to the herds of settlers is that we are waiting for you in all the West Bank cities, from Hebron to Jenin," Tamimi wrote "We will slaughter you and you will say that what Hitler did to you was a joke, we will drink your blood and eat your skulls. Come on, we’re waiting for you."
She had risen to prominence after being jailed as a teenager for slapping an Israeli soldier. Tamimi, then 16, said the soldiers had shot her cousin in the head with a rubber bullet an hour before the filmed encounter. She served an eight-month sentence in an Israeli prison, and after she was released, went on a victory tour, crisscrossing Europe and the Middle East, reported The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates this week to discuss sustaining aid flows to Gaza and freeing all hostages. Blinken might also discuss the U.S. principles for the future of Gaza and the need for an independent Palestinian state, Reuters said.
The original truce agreement allowed more aid trucks into Gaza, where the civilian population faces shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicine.