Hamas to privately hand over bodies of four Israeli captives tonight
The handover will be "in parallel with Israel's release of the delayed batch of Palestinian prisoners", Hazem Qassem says.
Members of the Qassam Brigades hand over the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children; Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz over to Red Cross representatives in Khan Younis, Gaza on February 20, 2025. / Photo: AA Archive
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that it will hand over the remains of four Israeli captives tonight in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of prisoners.
Hamas's armed wing said on Wednesday that under the "framework of the deal, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades has decided to hand over the bodies of four hostages tonight".
A Hamas official told AFP that in return, Israel would release 625 Palestinian prisoners.
Earlier, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Anadolu that "clear guarantees" had been secured from mediators and that a new mechanism was agreed upon to ensure Israel fulfils its commitments. However, he did not disclose details of the mechanism.
Abdel Latif al Qanoua, another Hamas spokesperson, said in a statement that the exchange would proceed "under a new mechanism guaranteeing Israel’s compliance."
"Egyptian mediators have secured this agreement, and we remain committed to completing and enforcing it," he added.
No public ceremony
There will be no public ceremony for the handover, another Hamas official said.
"The handover will take place without public presence to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay or obstruction," the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to discuss the matter.
Following this exchange, all prisoner releases under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement will be completed.
The first phase includes the release of 33 Israeli captives and 1,737 Palestinian prisoners in stages over six weeks.
Israel has refused to release 620 Palestinian prisoners in return for four bodies of Israeli captives on Saturday, citing what it called the "degrading handover ceremonies" of hostages.
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since last month, pausing Israel’s destructive war that has killed nearly 48,350 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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