Hamas to Release Six Israeli Captives, Hand Over Bodies in Gaza Ceasefire Deal
Hamas has announced that it will release six living Israeli captives and hand over the bodies of four others this week as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement. Khalil al-Hayya, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, confirmed the details of the exchange on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports.
According to al-Hayya, the bodies of the four deceased captives will be handed over in Gaza on Thursday, while the six living Israeli captives will be released on Saturday.
“Hamas has proven, along with the resistance, its seriousness in implementing the agreement with full responsibility,” al-Hayya stated. He also emphasized, “We stress the need to oblige the occupation to implement all provisions of the agreement without procrastination.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement, stating that talks in Egypt resulted in the release of six living Israeli captives on Saturday as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. The statement also said that Israel will receive the bodies of four dead captives on Thursday, with an additional four bodies to be returned next week.
The first phase of the Gaza truce, brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, is set to expire on March 1. Negotiations regarding the next phases, including a permanent end to the conflict, have yet to commence.
Israel and Hamas initially agreed to the ceasefire on January 19, bringing an end to over 460 days of warfare that severely impacted the Palestinian territory.
Despite the ceasefire, discussions within the Israeli government have emerged regarding a potential return to fighting in Gaza. Far-right ministers within Netanyahu’s cabinet are reportedly advocating for a military occupation of the enclave, while US President Donald Trump has called for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that Israel will begin negotiations “this week” regarding the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
“We had yesterday night a security cabinet meeting. We decided to open negotiations on the second phase. It will happen this week,” Saar stated, referring to talks that were originally scheduled to begin on February 3.
