Hamas names three hostages to be released on Saturday
Hamas has released the names of the three hostages it plans to release on Saturday under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Telegram that Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami, and Or Levy would be released.
Sharabi was taken captive with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed to have died in Gaza. Sharabi’s wife and two daughters were murdered in the 7 October attacks.
Ohad Ben Ami was taken captive with his wife, Raz Ben Ami, who was released in November 2023.
Or Levy and his wife, Eynav, arrived at the Supernova festival just minutes before militants arrived and began massacring civilians. Eynav was killed in the attack, while Or was taken hostage.
We’re closing our live coverage of the Middle East for the day. In case you missed anything, here’s a quick summary of all the day’s developments.
Hamas has named the three hostages to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire deal as Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami, and Or Levy. The release of the names was delayed by several hours after Hamas accused Israel of delaying the delivery of aid and other equipment in breach of the terms of the ceasefire
Israel dismissed the claims it had delayed aid supplies as “completely unfounded”. It said it had allowed thousands of trucks carrying food, aid, and shelters into Gaza
Global aid agency the Norwegian Refugee Council said humanitarian efforts in Gaza remained in an “emergency crisis setting”. Communications adviser Shaina Low said more aid had been able to enter the territory since the ceasefire but that there were still “delays in screening certain types of material”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in the US and has delivered a joint press conference with US House Speaker Mike Johnson. He praised President Trump for lifting bans on the provision of certain weapons that were in place under the Biden administration and said there was no “future for peace” in his region if Hamas remains there
President Trump issued an executive order announcing sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). The order said the court had “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and vowed to “impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions”
The ICC condemned the sanctions and accused Trump of trying to “harm its independent and impartial judicial” work. “The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” it said.
The UN also called on Trump to criticised the sanctions. “We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said
The UK has “no plans” to impose similar sanctions and will “support the independence of the ICC”, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said. The the UK and the US “over a number of administrations have taken a different view on the ICC”, they added
France, Germany, and the Netherlands all spoke out against the sanctions. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that, as the host of the court, the Netherlands had a “responsibility to guarantee the unhindered functioning of the criminal court at all times. We will keep doing that”
Hamas names three hostages to be released on Saturday
Hamas has released the names of the three hostages it plans to release on Saturday under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Telegram that Eli Sharabi, Ohad ben Ami, and Or Levy would be released.
Sharabi was taken captive with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed to have died in Gaza. Sharabi’s wife and two daughters were murdered in the 7 October attacks.
Ohad Ben Ami was taken captive with his wife, Raz Ben Ami, who was released in November 2023.
Or Levy and his wife, Eynav, arrived at the Supernova festival just minutes before militants arrived and began massacring civilians. Eynav was killed in the attack, while Or was taken hostage.
More now on the accusations Hamas has made against Israel after delaying the naming of three hostages set to be released on Saturday.
The group claims delays to the delivery of heavy machinery it was supposed to receive to help clear rubble in Gaza have hindered attempts to retrieve the bodies of hostages.
“Preventing the entry of heavy equipment and machinery needed to remove 55 million tons of rubble… will undoubtedly affect the resistance’s ability to extract from under the rubble the dead prisoners [hostages],” spokesman Salama Marouf is quoted by the Times of Isreal as saying.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to provide the names of the hostages to mediators by 4pm local time (2pm GMT) on Friday.
Hamas delays naming of hostages to be released, alleging ceasefire breach
Hamas has accused Israel of multiple breaches of the ceasefire agreement, alleging that it has delayed hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks and only allowed in a fraction of the tents needed to accommodate people who have lost their homes in the conflict.
It comes just a day before the next hostage-for-prisoner exchange was due to take place under the ceasefire deal.
Hamas delayed the naming of three hostages to be released on Saturday after making the claims, it was not immediately clear whether there would be any delay to the exchange.
Hamas said only 8,500 of 12,000 scheduled trucks have so far entered Gaza, and that most of them contained food and secondary goods like chips and chocolate instead of more items that are more urgently needed.
“This demonstrates clear manipulation of relief and shelter priorities,” it said.
It added that only 10% of the 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans needed to provide shelter had arrived.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are living in tents and other makeshift shelters after being displaced by the war.
Almost three weeks after the start of the ceasefire, “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate dangerously,” Hamas said.
Israel has dismissed claims it has delayed aid supplies as “completely unfounded” and says it has allowed in thousands of trucks, including tents and shelters.
The head of US Central Command, the branch of the US military responsible for operations in the Middle East, visited Israel for talks this week, the military said on Friday.
It said General Michael Kurilla arrived on Wednesday and that his meetings included one with Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi.
“During the visit, the commanders held a discussion with senior IDF officers, focusing on the regional strategic situation assessment and examining ways to continue addressing the threats in the Middle East,” the military said.
Netanyahu describes the meeting with Trump earlier in the week as “extraordinary”.
“Under his leadership, the critical decisions that show his commitment, and the American people’s commitment, to Israel have come to the fore instantly,” he says.
He cites the sanctions announced by Trump on the International Criminal Court as well as the lifting of bans on the provision of certain weapons to Israel that had been put in place under the Biden administration.
It was during a joint press conference with Netanyahu this week that Trump suggested the US could take control of and redevelop the Gaza Strip.
President Trump has imposed sanctions on officials from the International Criminal Court. Photograph: Peter Dejong/AP
European leaders have spoken in support of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the decision by President Trump to impose sanctions on its staff.
A spokesman for the French foreign ministry reaffirmed France’s support for the body and said it will mobilise with its partners to enable the ICC to continue to operate in an independent and impartial way.
Dick Schoof, prime minister of the Netherlands, where the court is based, also said he would make sure the court is able to continue to function.
“As the host country we have a responsibility to guarantee the unhindered functioning of the criminal court at all times,” he told reporters.
“We will keep doing that.”
He also described the sanctions as a “disturbing signal and very regrettable” with potentially “significant implications” for the ICC’s independence and ongoing investigations.
Speaking at a campaign event, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said sanctions were “the wrong tool”.
“They jeopardise an institution that is supposed to ensure that the dictators of this world cannot simply persecute people and start wars, and that is very important,” he said.
Experts fear that weakening the international criminal court (ICC), which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression, could give carte blanche to dictators worldwide, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The sanctions “seek to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general. “Global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all.”
If the sanctions target the prosecutor, as is likely, it means that investigations into alleged crimes in hotspots such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Sudan would also be affected.
“Victims will be deprived of proceedings even in cases that the US is not unhappy with,” Sexton told AFP. “This will undermine all investigations, not only the investigation into the situation in Palestine.” He noted that the sanctions come at an already difficult time for the court.
The ICC has become embroiled in a row with Italy, which released a Libyan war crimes suspect wanted in The Hague after receiving what it described as a badly drafted warrant.
Several countries also voiced reservations about arresting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited, undermining the court’s credibility.
“I think this is an existential threat for the ICC. It’s a real make-or-break moment,” said Sexton.
