Five Israeli female soldiers to be released on Sunday in first phase of hostage deal

Seven hostages, including five Israeli soldiers and two Americans, are set to be freed Sunday in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 16, 2025 00:32

Relatives of hostages and supporters take part in a protest calling for their release in Tel Aviv (photo credit: REUTERS/SUSANA VERA)

Five Israeli female soldiers will be released from Gaza on Sunday, coinciding with the first day of a planned ceasefire - according to a report by KAN news, a senior US official announced Wednesday night.

The exchange will include Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.

The official also confirmed that two American citizens, Keith Siegel and Sagie Dekel-Chen, are set to be released during the initial phase of the agreement.

"I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way that shows when my son will be released from captivity," Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

The first phase

The first phase of the deal will allegedly last 42 days and will see the release of 33 hostages, according to Arab media reports that have not been verified by Israeli officials.

Supporters of Israeli hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, react to news on the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, during a protest to demand a deal to bring every hostage home, in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 15, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

It is currently unclear what the following phases will consist of, as the PMO announced that the final details of the deal are still being worked on.