Jerusalem:
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to exchange the bodies of dead Israeli hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, keeping the fragile ceasefire deal intact for at least a few more days. As part of the agreement, the bodies of four Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners, Egyptian state-linked media reported late on Tuesday.
Israel has delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the “cruel treatment” of hostages during their release by Hamas, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing them as “humiliating ceremonies”. The Palestinian group claimed the delay was a “serious violation” of their ceasefire and that talks on a second phase were not possible until they were freed.
The deadlock had threatened to collapse the five-week-old fragile truce when the current six-week first phase of the deal expires this weekend.
On Tuesday, Hamas confirmed the new agreement, under Egyptian supervision, saying it was part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel.
The prisoners previously slated for release “will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners who were agreed to be handed over,” along with the release of a new set of Palestinian prisoners, the Hamas statement said.
According to Israeli media reports, the exchange could take place as soon as Wednesday. The Israeli bodies would be handed over to Egyptian authorities without any public ceremony, the Ynet news site said.
Gaza Truce
Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed fighters have escorted the captives onto stages decorated with slogans. Israel has released over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has released hostages, and the bodies of four dead hostages, in large public ceremonies during which the Israelis were paraded and forced to wave to large crowds. The move was condemned by Israel, along with the Red Cross and UN officials.
Following this, the International Committee of the Red Cross has urged all parties to carry out prisoner and hostage swaps “in a dignified and private manner”.
End Of Phase 1
The latest agreement would complete both sides’ obligations of the first phase of the truce dead- during which Hamas was set to return 33 hostages – including eight bodies – in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The final hostage-prisoner swap of the deal could also clear the way for an expected visit by the White House’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region. Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas are to be released and an end to the war is to be negotiated. The Phase 2 talks were supposed to begin weeks ago but never did.
The ceasefire, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of heavy fighting that erupted after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 people hostage.