Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have completed the exchange of hostages and prisoners in the first phase of the ceasefire.
According to foreign media reports on the 27th local time, Israel has identified the bodies of four Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas overnight.
Among them, Shlomo Mintz, aged 85, was killed in a surprise attack by Hamas in October 2023, after which his body was transferred to the Gaza Strip. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of the other three hostages captured alive at the time have not been disclosed.
Initially, Israel planned to release around 600 Palestinian prisoners on the 22nd, but delayed the release due to what they described as Hamas’ “insulting hostage release ceremony.”
During the six-week first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas returned 33 Israeli hostages, including 8 bodies, in nine instances, while Israel handed over 1,904 Palestinian prisoners.
According to AP News, out of the 251 hostages Hamas took in October 2023, 59 remain in the Gaza Strip, with 32 of them presumed dead.
The six-week period of the first phase of the ceasefire is set to end on the 1st of the next month, and negotiations for the second phase are delayed as both sides accuse each other of violations.
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