GAZA CITY: Hamas mentioned it will change the our bodies of 4 Israeli hostages for greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, capping the primary section of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
America mentioned talks had been on observe for a second section of the ceasefire deal that has largely held however whose complexity and long-drawn-out implementation have highlighted its fragility.
In Israel on Wednesday, hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons, who had been killed in captivity in Gaza and had turn out to be symbols of the nation’s hostage ordeal.
The ceasefire has largely halted the Israel-Hamas struggle sparked by the October 7, 2023 assault, and has seen 25 hostages launched alive up to now in change for a whole lot of prisoners.
“Mediators have knowledgeable Hamas that the (hostage-prisoner) change will happen on Thursday… Hamas and different resistance factions will hand over 4 our bodies of Israeli captives, and in return, Israel will launch greater than 600 Palestinian detainees,” a Hamas official advised AFP.
One other senior Hamas official mentioned the “change will occur concurrently”.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump’s prime envoy on the Center East mentioned Israeli representatives had been en path to talks on the subsequent section of the ceasefire deal.
“We’re making a number of progress. Israel is sending a workforce proper now as we communicate,” Steve Witkoff advised an occasion for the American Jewish Committee.
“It’s both going to be in Doha or in Cairo, the place negotiations will start once more with the Egyptians and the Qataris,” he mentioned.
Israel has but to verify its launch, and has not commented on whether or not it’s sending a delegation to debate the second section of the truce.
This primary section is meant to finish on Saturday, however negotiations deliberate for the remainder of the method — which had been to start in early February — haven’t but began.
Hamas has mentioned it is able to launch “in a single go” all of the remaining hostages throughout the second section.
On Sunday, the group accused Israel of endangering the Gaza truce by delaying the discharge of greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel justified the delay by citing issues over how the hostages have been freed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the method as “humiliating ceremonies”.
Bibas household funeral
In Israel, hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons Kfir and Ariel.
Israel’s nationwide anthem was performed because the black automobile convoy handed via the group of mourners within the central metropolis of Rishon LeZion, the place the stays of the three hostages had been ready for burial.
Their burial was set to happen at a personal ceremony later.