The first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was completed early Thursday as Hamas handed over four bodies of hostages taken during the October 7 attack. In exchange, Israel released over 600 convicted Palestinian prisoners to various locations.
According to The Times of Israel, the return of the bodies was conducted quietly and without the disturbing displays that had accompanied previous hostage handovers. The hostages had been held in Gaza for over 16 months, and their remains were finally transferred back to Israel in the dead of night.
The Israeli government had previously delayed prisoner releases, frustrated by Hamas’s handling of previous exchanges. It remains unclear whether all detainees will be released at once as Hamas had demanded.
Israel has been conducting forensic investigations to confirm the identities of the returned remains, keeping families updated throughout the process.
The bodies believed to be of four hostages kidnapped by Hamas-led terrorists and held captive in Gaza for over 16 months were returned to Israel early Thursday in a nighttime handover devoid of macabre theatrics that had punctuated previous handovers.
In exchange for the remains of the four slain hostages, Israel agreed to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners whose releases had been held up by anger in Jerusalem over Hamas’s handling of previous handovers, though statements from Israeli and Palestinian officials left unclear whether all the detainees would be released simultaneously as sought by Hamas.
Israel then began carrying out its initial forensic investigation. The families of the four hostages were being updated constantly and were supposed to receive official notifications once identifications were made.
So far, 33 hostages have been returned, with 18 found alive. However, there are still 63 hostages in Gaza, of whom only 24 are presumed to be alive.
Hamas reportedly forced two surviving hostages to watch the release of others, using the footage to apply psychological pressure on Israel in ongoing negotiations.
On Wednesday, thousands of Israelis attended the funeral of Shiri Bibas and her two children, whose bodies were returned last week. Hamas had initially delivered the wrong body in a tragic error before finally correcting it.
As the ceasefire deal unfolds, negotiations continue over the remaining hostages. Israel remains under pressure to bring them home, while Hamas seeks to leverage prisoner exchanges for political and strategic gains.
For further updates, follow ongoing reports from The Times of Israel, Haaretz, and other major news sources covering the conflict.
