Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Another exchange of hostages held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails is scheduled on Thursday.
Hamas and other militants will release three Israeli and five Thai hostages, but the number of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release on Thursday has not been announced.
"The list of names received from Hamas today by the mediators Qatar and Egypt includes: Arel Yehud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and Gadi Moses, 80," the Israeli Prime Minister's office announced on Wednesday, CNN, the JersusalemPost and TheTimes of Israel reported.
The names of the five Thai citizens to be released have not been made available.
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The first phase of the cease-fire in Gaza requires the release of 33 of the Israeli hostages who were taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed militants.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum says all three of the Israeli hostages to be released are believed to be alive, but there is no indication if all five the of Thai hostages are living.
Israeli officials say eight of the remaining Israeli hostages set to be freed are dead.
Yehud initially was scheduled to be released on Saturday, but she was held by Islamic Jihad and not immediately available for release.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the failure to release Berger on Saturday violated the cease-fire agreement, so he stopped Gazans from returning to northern Gaza until her release is secured.
He rescinded the order to halt the movement into the northern Gaza Strip, effective Tuesday morning, upon securing Agam's pending release on Thursday.
More than 500,000 Gazans began returning to the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported.
Berger was an Israeli soldier and was taken from a military base located near the Nahal Oz kibbutz, and Moses is a grandfather and agronomist who was kidnapped while in the Nir Oz kibbutz.
Yehud and her boyfriend Ariel Cunio were at their home in Nir Oz kibbutz Israel during the Oct. 7 attack when militants kidnapped them.
While Israel is scheduled to receive 33 hostages held by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups during the first phase of the cease-fire, Hamas will receive 2,000 prisoners held in Israeli jails during the first part of the three-part cease-fire agreement.
Israel requires a list indicating the status of all hostages to be released during the first part of the cease-fire agreement.
Additional negotiations are underway to determine which hostages and how many prisoners will be exchanged during the second phase of the cease-fire.
