Hamas frees three more Israeli hostages under Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of a fragile ceasefire agreement, even as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to promote his plan to take ownership of the Gaza Strip.

This is the fifth exchange since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last month.

Fifty-two-year-old Eli Sharabi and 56-year-old Ohad Ben Ami were both taken hostage from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm, while Or Levy, 34, was abducted from the Nova music festival during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

For its part, Israel is set to release 183 Palestinian prisoners later Saturday.

During the first phase of the ceasefire, set to last six weeks, Hamas is to gradually free 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. So far, 13 Israeli hostages and five Thai workers abducted during the Hamas attack have been freed in exchange for some 600 mostly Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails.

The exchange Saturday follows Trump’s proposal to clear Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants and for the United States to take ownership of the territory. Trump told reporters Friday at the White House before a meeting with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba his plan should be viewed as a real estate transaction but offered no timetable for the plan, saying "we’re in no rush on it."

Responding to a question about his Gaza proposal, Trump said his plan has been "very well received," and as he envisioned it, there would be no need for the United States to have "boots on the ground" in the region because Israel would provide security.

Trump first announced his Gaza takeover plan earlier this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a White House news conference. Trump later offered more on the plan on his Truth Social platform, suggesting Israel should turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the war with Hamas ends.

Under his plan, he said, the more than 2 million Palestinians who live there "would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities."