On the night of Thursday, February 27, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross . This was part of an exchange in which Israel agreed to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN .
Details
According to the Israeli security forces, the bodies were transferred with the mediation of Egypt through one of the border crossings. The identification procedure has now begun.
Around the same time, a Red Cross convoy with several dozen released Palestinians left the Israeli prison of Ofer. They were taken to the West Bank city of Beituniya, where they were met by family and friends. Some of the released prisoners burned the prison shirts of the Israeli Prison Service, while others celebrated by raising their hands in victory.
Hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners are expected to be sent to Gaza. Many of them were detained after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, without being formally charged.
Addendum
This exchange completes the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, under which Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, the question of the next stage of negotiations remains open, during which a decision should be made to release all hostages still held by Hamas.
Recall
Israel and Hamas agreed to hand over the bodies of four hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The exchange was scheduled for Wednesday evening, completing the first phase of the truce.