Hamas will return the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the group said, just days before the first phase of the ceasefire between the warring parties was to expire.
Israel has delayed the release of about 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it says is the cruel treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas.
The militant group has said that the delay is a “serious violation” of their ceasefire and that talks on a second phase aren’t possible until the Palestinians are freed.
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Hamas would hand over the bodies of four Israelis the next day.
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Israelis line highways as bodies of mother and her children are sent for burial
TEL AVIV, Israel — Tens of thousands of Israelis, some holding flags and signs that read “Forgive us,” lined the highways as the bodies of an Israeli mother and her two children who were killed in Gaza were transported to their burial.
Shiri Bibas was kidnapped with her two sons — Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old — from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas released their bodies last week as part of a fragile ceasefire deal, though initially the militant group did not release the correct body for Shiri Bibas.
Yarden Bibas, their father, was taken separately, and released during the ceasefire last month. The three will be buried on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Wednesday afternoon.
Hamas says the three were killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari denies this and said Ariel and Kfir Bibas were killed by their captors.
