Hamas turned over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages early on Thursday, according to the Israeli military, and Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners, in the latest such exchange during the initial stage of a fragile cease-fire.
Hamas’s military wing on Wednesday afternoon named the four Israelis as Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour and Tsachi Idan. They ranged in age from 85 to 49 when they were abducted, and their remains were to be swapped for a group of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Unlike previous handovers, this time, Hamas carried out the transfer without staged displays, which Israel had condemned as “humiliating ceremonies.”
Around the same time on Thursday, a white bus and two cars bearing the emblem of the International Committee of the Red Cross were shown live on Palestinian television departing from Ofer Prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the city of Ramallah in the same territory. Dozens of prisoners stepped off the bus. Hundreds more were expected to be released once Israel identified the bodies turned over.
Because Hamas had misidentified a female hostage in a previous handover, the Israeli health authorities said that forensic specialists would attempt to identify the remains in the four coffins at the Kerem Shalom crossing, the southernmost point between Israel and Gaza. Once they confirmed the identities, the Israeli military was expected to release additional prisoners.
The latest exchange comes as the first phase of the truce, which began in January, draws to a close after 42 days. It was unclear whether serious negotiations on the second phase of the agreement have begun. Israel and Hamas were supposed to start talks by the 16th day of the cease-fire. But there has been little sign of progress despite pressure from U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators, who had hoped any truce would be extended into a more comprehensive resolution to the conflict.
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