Jerusalem/Gaza, Feb. 14 -- Israel confirmed Friday that it has received a list of three hostages set to be released on Saturday from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office initially stated that the list was "acceptable by Israel," but a spokesman for Netanyahu later backtracked, clarifying that Israel had only received the list. "This is a purely factual description and does not reflect any Israeli position on the matter," the spokesman said.
The list was delivered to Israel via Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
According to a statement from Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the hostages are Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, a 29-year-old Israeli-Russian civilian; Sagui Dekel-Chen, ...