Israel and Hamas have reached a new agreement to exchange the bodies of dead hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, helping to preserve the fragile ceasefire in place for at least a few more days.
The agreement comes after Israel delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing concerns over the treatment of hostages by Hamas. Hamas had described this delay as a breach of the ceasefire terms, warning that further talks would not proceed until the prisoners were freed.
The deadlock had put the ceasefire at risk as the first phase of the deal was set to expire this weekend. However, late on Tuesday, Hamas confirmed that a breakthrough had been made during talks in Cairo, led by Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas political official.
Under the new agreement, four more dead hostages will be returned, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including those who were previously slated for release, will be freed simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the deal and stated that the bodies would be returned in the coming days. Media reports suggested that the exchange could happen as early as Wednesday, with the Israeli bodies to be transferred to Egyptian authorities quietly, without a public ceremony.
This agreement marks the completion of both parties’ obligations in the first phase of the ceasefire, which included the release of 33 hostages (eight of whom were dead) and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The deal also paves the way for Phase 2 negotiations, which are expected to address the remaining hostages and work toward an end to the conflict.
The ceasefire, brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, followed a brutal 15-month period of fighting that began after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli military operations have claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, while the war has displaced nearly 90% of Gaza’s population, devastating the region’s infrastructure.
Source : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2591631/middle-east