French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that Paris is closely monitoring the release of hostages from Gaza, as part of the initial phase of a deal between Israel and Hamas.

Two French-Israeli nationals are expected to be released among the 33 captives set to be freed, Barrot told BFMTV. Namely, Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi were taken hostage by the militant group during the attack on October 7. "We will continue to fight until the last hour for their release," the foreign minister stressed, adding that Paris had not received news regarding their health status.

Over the weekend, as part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released three Israeli detainees, while Israel responded by freeing 90 Palestinian prisoners.