Jerusalem -Hamas presented four hostages who died at the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for the liberation of Israel from hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a few days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli security official confirmed to the Associated Press that Hamas had given the bodies to the Red Cross. The manager spoke under the cover of anonymity pending an official announcement.
Above the same time, a convoy of the Red Cross carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left the Ofer prison of Israel. Crowds of families, friends and supporters of Palestinian prisoners were gathered in Beitunia jostling for an overview of the bus that was on the way.
Israel had delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners Since Saturday to protest against what he called the cruel treatment of hostages during their transfer by Hamas. The terrorist group has described the delay in “serious violation” of the ceasefire and said that talks on a second phase are not possible until the Palestinians are released. The dead end had threatened to collapse the ceasefire when the first current phase of six weeks of the agreement expires on Saturday. But Tuesday evening, Hamas said that an agreement had been concluded to resolve the dispute during Cairo meetings.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the liberation of the bodies would be carried out without ceremonies, as opposed to the past outings of Hamas with events managed by the scene in front of the crowd. Israel, as well as officials of the Red Cross and the UN, called humiliating ceremonies for hostages.
Among those who left Israel early Thursday, hundreds of Gaza arrested prisoners were suspected of activism after the attack on Hamas on October 7, 2023, without accusation for months. They include 445 men, 21 teenagers and a woman who were all arrested after the attack on Hamas, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials who did not specify their age.
About only about 50 Palestinians were released in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in this Tour. Dozens of perpetuity on deadly attacks against the Israelis will be exiled from the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them.
The transfer will fulfill the obligations of the two parties under the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
In a brief statement earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that an agreement had been concluded by the mediators, adding that “our four fallen hostages will be returned this evening as part of phase A, under a agreed and ceremonies of Hamas”.
Before Thursday, Hamas had released living Israeli hostages and the bodies of the died captives during large public ceremonies during which the Israelis paraded and forced to signal in large crowds. Israel, as well as the Red Cross and UN officials, said that the humiliating ceremonies for hostages, and Israel last weekend delayed the planned release of prisoners in protest.
The last agreement would fulfill the obligations of the two parties of the first phase of the ceasefire – during which Hamas is supposed to return 33 hostages – including eight bodies – in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
He could also pave the way for a likely visit to the region by the envoy of the Middle East of the White House, Steve Witkoff.
Evelyn Hockstein / Pool / AFP
He declared during an event on Tuesday in Washington for the American Jewish Committee that Israeli representatives were already about to engage in talks on the next phase of the cease-fire agreement, and he repeated that he was also ready to return to the region, according to the French AFP press agency.
“We are making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we are talking about,” said Witkoff, adding that talks could take over from Cairo or Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Witkoff said he wanted the parties to go to negotiations on the second phase, during which all the remaining hostages held by Hamas must be released and the end of the war must be negotiated. Discussions in tunes were to start weeks ago, but never did.
The ceasefire, negotiated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of heavy fights triggered by On October 7, 2023 of Hamas, terrorist attackWho has seen activists kill some 1,200 people in Israel and take 251 others in hostages.
The military offensive of Israel killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health managed by Gaza, moved approximately 90% of the population of the enclave and decimated from the infrastructure and the health system of the territory. The Ministry of Health does not make the difference between civilian and militant victims, but it is said that more than half of the dead have been women and children.
