Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over what it said were the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
It was the final such exchange the two sides agreed to as part of a truce that’s set to end this weekend. Negotiations over a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire, have not yet begun.
Hamas said in a statement that the “only way” for Israel to secure the release of the remaining hostages was through negotiations and adhering to the agreement. It warned that any attempt to pull back from the truce “will only lead to more suffering” for the captives and their families.
Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners had been released overnight. Most were detainees returned to Gaza, where they had been rounded up after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war and held without charge on security suspicions.
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Here's the latest:
Israel has yet to release 24 Palestinian detainees, says group that represents prisoners
Israel on Thursday had yet to return 24 Palestinian detainees whose release was supposed to occur overnight, a group that represents prisoners said, after Hamas sent back to Israel the bodies of four hostages killed in captivity.
The 24 Palestinian detainees include 23 teenagers and one woman, all taken into Israeli custody during military raids in Gaza. They were part of a group of over 600 prisoners whose release Israel held back last weekend to protest what it called Hamas’s cruel treatment of hostages during the ceasefire deal. Israel released the bulk of the prisoners overnight except for the woman and minors.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club, a group that represents current and former prisoners, said that in addition to the 24, Israel was also set to release 22 more Palestinians, including 21 aged 15-19 and one woman. Israeli forces have arrested hundreds of people in Gaza and held them without trial.
As part of the ceasefire, Israel committed to releasing more than 1,000 detainees who hadn’t participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
Israeli official says army will not withdraw from corridor along Gaza-Egypt border
An Israeli official says the army will not withdraw from a corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border as required in the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official said Israel needed to maintain a presence in the so-called Philadelphi corridor to prevent weapons smuggling.
Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the corridor could spark a crisis with Hamas and Egypt, a key mediator that has repeatedly called for Israel to pull out.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire is set to expire this weekend and negotiations over the next phase have not yet begun.
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Associated Press writer Josef Federman contributed from Jerusalem.
Israeli hostage group says the remains of 3 hostages returned by Hamas have been identified
An Israeli group representing families of hostages held by Hamas says the remains of three of four bodies returned early Thursday have been identified. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Thursday that the bodies of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur have been returned to Israel.
Mantzur, 85, was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and his body was taken into Gaza. The other two were kidnapped alive and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not known.
The Associated Press
