After the Palestinian group Hamas carried out the worst attack in Israeli history on October 7, 2023, Israel launched a devastating military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Also slated to be released is Kfir Bibas, who was just eight months old when abducted on 7 October and turned two on Saturday. Hamas had previously reported in November 2023 that Kfir, his five-year-old brother and mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but there is no independent verification of this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and end the war in Gaza, which has raged for more than a year.