Hamas to Return Bodies of Israeli Hostages Without Public Ceremony
GAZA CITY:
Hamas has announced that it will return the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Wednesday night without its customary public handover ceremony. In exchange, Israel is expected to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, according to the group.
This exchange marks the final phase of the initial Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on January 19. Efforts are ongoing, led by mediator the United States, to negotiate a second phase of the deal, though its complexity has underscored its fragility.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed that it will transfer the bodies under the terms of the agreement. A Hamas official told AFP that Israel would release 625 Palestinian detainees in return.
The official also emphasized that the transfer would take place privately to prevent Israel from using it as a reason for delay or disruption.
Israeli authorities confirmed the arrangement. “Following Israel’s demands, an agreement was reached with mediators: our four fallen hostages will be returned tonight… without public ceremonies by Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated.
Previous handover events have been conducted in public settings, where hostages were displayed on stage, given certificates and gifts, and sometimes required to speak before crowds. These displays provoked backlash in Israel, which temporarily halted last week’s prisoner exchange in response to what it deemed “humiliating ceremonies.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has facilitated these swaps, has urged both sides to conduct exchanges in a “dignified and private manner.”
