HAMAS militants named today three Israeli hostages to be released at the weekend as part of a fragile ceasefire deal.

Hamas and a forum representing families of hostages identified the three to be freed Saturday as Israeli-Argentinian Iair Horn, 46; Israeli-US citizen Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Israeli-Russian Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29. The trio were abducted from the same hard-hit kibbutz during the October 7 2023 attack on Israel.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, which began on January 21, Israel is to release more than 300 Palestinian captives held in Israeli jails in return for the Israelis. The exchange will be the sixth swap since the ceasefire came into effect.

So far, 21 Israelis and over 730 Palestinians have been freed during the first phase of the truce. But the ceasefire had appeared dangerously close to collapse in recent days.

Hamas had said it would delay the next hostage release after accusing Israel of not adhering to the terms of the deal by not allowing enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble into Gaza.

Israel, with the support of far-right US President Donald Trump, had retorted it would resume fighting Saturday unless the Israelis were freed, leaving it unclear whether it meant the three hostages as scheduled in the ceasefire deal, or all remaining hostages.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Mr Trump’s plans to ethnically cleanse the two million Palestinians living in Gaza would be a “pure atrocity.”

“Unfortunately, the US is making a miscalculation regarding our region,” Mr Erdogan said.

“One should not be in an approach that disregards the history, values and heritage of this geography.

“It is absolutely unacceptable to approve this forced displacement. This would be a pure atrocity,” said the president.