Israel prepares to receive second group of hostages slated for release later Saturday

Following a day of mixed emotions as 13 Israeli hostages — mothers and their young kids, and elderly women — were freed by Hamas in Gaza after 49 days, Israelis are bracing for the release of the second group of 13 hostages set for later Saturday.

The expected release will come on the second day of the lull in fighting as part of a hostage deal that went into effect Friday at 7 a.m. The temporary truce deal between Israel and Hamas includes a four-day pause in the war, the first in seven weeks since Hamas’s October 7 atrocities, and the release of a total of about 50 Israeli hostages in groups of roughly a dozen per day day.

The four-day truce can potentially be extended for one extra day for each group of 10 more hostages freed by Hamas.

As part of a separate deal, 11 foreign nationals — 10 Thais and one Filipino — were released by Hamas on Friday after being abducted on October 7.

On Friday night, Israel received the list of hostages who are slated to be released Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

After reviewing the list, Israeli security officials notified the hostages’ families, the PMO said.

Israeli authorities had notified both the families of the hostages being released Friday as well as those who were not on the first list.

Channel 12 reported that the latest list of hostages set for release Saturday has 13 names and includes more children.

Only four of the 13 Israelis released Friday were children. Hamas and other terror factions abducted some 240 people on October 7, including about 40 children.

Netanyahu’s office has urged the media to act with caution and avoid publicizing the names of those on the list before they are back in Israel.