Yossi Mekelberg, an analyst at the think tank Chatham House, says that after Hamas has confirmed that the captives will be released on Saturday, he cannot see any chance that Israel will not go ahead with the exchange. “As far as most Israelis are concerned, we know for many … months that 60-70 percent … say they wanted a ceasefire deal, the return of hostages … even [an] end [to the] war,” he added.
