Jerusalem — Hamas handed over 4 lifeless hostages to the Pink Cross early Thursday in change for Israel’s launch of lots of of Palestinian prisoners, days earlier than the primary section of the ceasefire within the Gaza Strip will finish.
The workplace of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that Hamas had handed the our bodies to the Pink Cross, including that, “The preliminary identification course of on Israeli territory has begun.”
At across the similar time the our bodies had been obtained on Wednesday, a Pink Cross convoy carrying dozens of launched Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer jail. Crowds of cheering households, mates and supporters of Palestinian prisoners had been gathered in Beitunia jostling for a glimpse of the bus that was on its method.
Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it referred to as the merciless remedy of hostages throughout their handover by Hamas. The terrorist group has referred to as the delay a “critical violation” of the ceasefire and mentioned talks on a second section aren’t doable till the Palestinians are freed. The impasse had threatened to break down the ceasefire when the present six-week first section of the deal expires on Saturday. However late Tuesday, Hamas mentioned an settlement had been reached to resolve the dispute throughout conferences in Cairo.
Netanyahu’s workplace had mentioned Wednesday that the discharge of the our bodies can be carried out and not using a ceremony, versus previous Hamas releases with stage-managed occasions in entrance of crowds. Israel, together with the Pink Cross and U.N. officers, have referred to as the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages.
Amongst these leaving Israel early Thursday had been lots of of detainees arrested from Gaza, held on suspicion of militancy after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault, with out cost for months. They embody 445 males, 21 youngsters and one girl who had been all arrested after the Hamas assault, in response to lists shared by Palestinian officers that didn’t specify their ages.
Solely round 50 Palestinians had been being launched into the occupied West Financial institution and east Jerusalem on this spherical. Dozens sentenced to life over lethal assaults towards Israelis will likely be exiled out of the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at the least briefly till different nations settle for them.
The handover will full either side’ obligations beneath the ceasefire’s first section, throughout which Hamas returned 33 hostages, together with eight our bodies, in change for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
In a short assertion earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu’s workplace confirmed that an settlement had been reached by the mediators, including that “our 4 fallen hostages will likely be returned tonight as a part of Section A, beneath an agreed process and with out Hamas ceremonies.”
Previous to Thursday, Hamas had launched residing Israeli hostages and the our bodies of lifeless captives in massive public ceremonies throughout which the Israelis had been paraded and compelled to wave to massive crowds. Israel, together with the Pink Cross and U.N. officers, have mentioned the ceremonies had been humiliating to the hostages, and Israel final weekend delayed the scheduled prisoner launch in protest.
The most recent settlement would full either side’ obligations of the primary section of the ceasefire — throughout which Hamas is supposed to return 33 hostages — together with eight our bodies — in change for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
It additionally might clear the best way for a possible return go to to the area by the White Home’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / POOL / AFP
He mentioned at a Tuesday occasion in Washington for the American Jewish Committee that Israeli representatives had been already on their solution to interact in talks on the following section of the ceasefire deal, and he repeated that he was additionally prepared to go again to the area, in response to the French information company AFP.
“We’re making plenty of progress. Israel is sending a group proper now as we communicate,” Witkoff mentioned, including that talks might resume in Cairo or Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Witkoff has mentioned he needs the perimeters to maneuver into negotiations on the second section, throughout which all remaining hostages held by Hamas are to be launched and an finish to the conflict is to be negotiated. The phase-two talks had been supposed to start weeks in the past however by no means did.
The ceasefire, brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of heavy combating sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which noticed militants kill some 1,200 individuals in Israel and take 251 others as hostages.
Israel’s army offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, in response to Gaza’s Hamas-run Well being Ministry, displaced an estimated 90% of the enclave’s inhabitants and decimated the territory’s infrastructure and well being system. The well being ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilian and militant casualties, but it surely says over half the lifeless have been girls and kids.
