Hamas hands over bodies of 4 hostages to Israel and states condition for releasing rest
Photo: Hamas is ready to discuss the second phase of the agreement (Getty Images)
Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages while it waited for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return. The group also outlined the conditions for the release of the remaining hostages, according to Reuters.
After days of impasse, Egyptian mediators on Wednesday secured the handover of the bodies of the final four hostages in the deal's first phase. Israel received coffins carrying the remains of the four hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in the early hours of Thursday.
Hamas had previously identified the bodies as those of Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, and Shlomo Mantzur, all of whom were abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack from their kibbutz homes near Gaza.
The bodies were undergoing initial identification in Israeli territory and official notice would be given to the hostages' families once the process is complete, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
A full forensic examination to determine the cause of death for the final four bodies returned to Israel will come later, according to the Israeli health ministry.
An overnight exchange marking the final swap as part of a fragile truce in Gaza. The ceasefire came into effect on January 19 and has largely held, despite numerous setbacks.
Previously, Israel had refused to release prisoners on Saturday after Hamas handed over six hostages in a staged ceremony. Hamas had been displaying living hostages and coffins carrying hostage remains on stage in front of a crowd in Gaza before handing them over, to sharp criticism including from the United Nations. The final handover did not include such a ceremony.
The handover agreement had also been held up previously after Hamas handed over the remains of an unidentified Palestinian woman instead of Shiri Bibas, before delivering the correct body the next day. The unidentified woman's body was sent back to a Gaza hospital on Thursday, medics said.
The first ceasefire phase is due to end this week and the fate of its next phase, which aims to end the war, remains unclear.
Hamas said on Thursday that it was ready to start talks on the second phase and that the only way remaining hostages would be freed is through commitment to the ceasefire.
