On Thursday, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages, as confirmed by Israeli authorities. This was followed by the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, who were transported by buses with Red Cross accompaniment to the West Bank and Gaza. The transfer of over 600 prisoners marked the latest phase of a delicate ceasefire deal, with some reports indicating nearly 100 detainees being deported to Egypt.
The hostages, identified by Israeli media as Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mansour, were among the casualties in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023. Their remains are now undergoing identification.
The prisoner exchange had initially been scheduled for the prior weekend, but was delayed after Hamas conducted elaborate ceremonies to hand over the hostages, sparking controversy. This delay threatened the fragile ceasefire agreement, which began on January 19, 2025, and is set to end this Saturday.
Hamas has now stated that Israel must commence negotiations for the next phase of the deal, claiming it has removed all “false justifications” for delay. The ceasefire, which paused the war following the deadly attack in October 2023, had already seen the release of 25 hostages in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes were carried out in response to a projectile fired from Gaza, although the weapon fell short inside Palestinian territory. In Washington, U.S. officials confirmed ongoing efforts to resume negotiations, with Israeli representatives set to meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha or Cairo to discuss the next steps.
At a funeral in Israel on Wednesday, the families of victims, including Shiri Bibas and her children, who had been killed in captivity, mourned their loss. The Israeli parliament observed a minute of silence in remembrance of all the victims of the October 7 attack, which resulted in more than 1,200 Israeli deaths, most of them civilians.
In his eulogy, Yarden Bibas, who was abducted in the same attack but later freed, expressed deep regret for not being able to protect his family.
The conflict has caused widespread devastation, with over 48,000 people killed in Gaza, according to Hamas-controlled health ministries, a toll deemed credible by the United Nations.
