Days after Israel initially failed to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for six hostages held in Gaza, a new agreement has been reached, according to an Israeli source and Hamas. This development indicates that the fragile ceasefire remains intact for now.
The Egyptian-brokered agreement between Hamas and Israel involves the exchange of the final four bodies of hostages due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal for the 620 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Among these detainees are 23 children and one woman, according to the Israeli source.
Israel had previously delayed their release, citing concerns over the treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas, and demanded guarantees that future releases would occur without “humiliating ceremonies.”
Advocates for Palestinian prisoners and detainees have expressed repeated concerns about the delay and Israel’s treatment of those held in detention. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reports that 69 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli detention since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, with 38 of those detained in Gaza.
Hamas recently released six Israeli hostages from Gaza, both in public ceremonies and a private transfer. This marked the final return of living hostages in the first phase of the ceasefire deal initiated last month. However, Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce with the delay, casting uncertainty over the precarious ceasefire deal and stating that talks on a second phase would not be possible until the detainees are freed.
Hamas confirmed that an agreement with Israel had been made through Egyptian mediators, though specific details on the number of hostages and prisoners to be exchanged were not disclosed. An Egyptian official confirmed the agreement, as per a statement from the Egyptian government’s media office.
An Israeli official confirmed to CNN that the release of the remains of four hostages held in Gaza could happen as early as Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Hamas and its allies continue to hold 63 hostages in Gaza, with at least 32 believed to be deceased, including the soldier Hadar Goldin, who has been held since 2014.
The latest agreement between Israel and Hamas coincided with a funeral in southern Israel for Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were taken hostage in the October 7 Hamas-led attack and killed in Gaza. Their bodies were returned to Israel last week under the ceasefire arrangement.
The Bibas family invited the public to pay their respects along the funeral route to a private ceremony near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel. Kfir, at just nine months, was the youngest person kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza, becoming a symbol of the hostages' plight throughout the war.
The return of the Bibas family’s bodies caused distress in Israel after the remains of Kfir and Ariel were returned without their mother, instead accompanied by the body of an unidentified Palestinian woman. This development threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire agreement; however, Shiri’s remains were later returned to Israel.
Crowds gathered along the funeral route, holding Israeli and yellow flags, symbolizing the campaign to bring the hostages home. “We are accompanied by the people of Israel in droves,” the Bibas family said in a statement shared by the Israeli hostage families forum. “We see and hear you” and “are moved and strengthened by you,” it concluded.
