UPDATE - Palestinian resistance groups announce names of Israeli captives set to be released on Saturday

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By Nour Abuaisha and Ikram Kouachi

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, and Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, announced on Friday the names of three Israeli captives set to be released on Saturday as part of the sixth batch of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, the brigades' spokesman Abu Ubaida said, “The Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to release the following Zionist prisoners tomorrow, Saturday: Alexander (Sasha) Turbanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Yair Horn."

Separately, Saraya al-Quds also confirmed the release of Turbanov in a statement.

The group’s spokesman, Abu Hamza, stated that “Saraya Al-Quds has decided to release the Israeli prisoner Alexander Turbanov tomorrow, Saturday.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has received the list of captives announced by Hamas, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The report said one of the Israeli captives, Sagui Dekel-Chen (36), holds American citizenship.

The daily Maariv, in its report, stated that another captive, Alexander Turbanov (29), holds Russian citizenship. The report also noted that Moscow had previously called for his release.

In a related development, Hamas’ Prisoners' Media Office announced that Israel plans to release 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday in exchange for the three Israeli captives.

"Following the Palestinian resistance’s submission of the names of the Israeli prisoners, 36 prisoners serving life sentences and 333 detainees from Gaza—arrested after Oct. 7—will be released on Saturday as part of the first phase of the exchange deal," the office said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the prisoner exchange, according to the agreed timeline.

Hamas indicated that mediators from Egypt and Qatar have worked to resolve obstacles caused by Israel’s violations of the agreement, describing the negotiations as "positive."

These mediation efforts followed Hamas' decision on Monday to suspend the release of Israeli captives until Tel Aviv ceases its violations and retroactively complies with the humanitarian protocol of the agreement.

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting the Israeli war that has killed more than 48,200 people, mostly women and children, and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.