JERUSALEM — Officials from Israel and the Hamas group announced on Tuesday that a consensus has been reached regarding the exchange of deceased hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This development is crucial in maintaining the tenuous ceasefire for a few more days.
Since Saturday, Israel had delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing mistreatment of hostages by Hamas during their release. This stance by Israel was condemned by Hamas as a breach of their ceasefire agreement, structuring a deadlock in prisoner discussions until conditions were met.
This impasse posed a significant threat to the ceasefire, especially with the first phase of the agreement set to conclude by the weekend. However, a breakthrough emerged late Tuesday when Hamas declared that an agreement had been attained during a Cairo visit by a senior delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya.
This agreement paves the way for retrieving the bodies of four more deceased hostages, as well as liberating more prisoners under the ceasefire terms. According to Hamas, the prisoners arranged for release will be exchanged concurrently with the return of Israeli hostages’ bodies, alongside other Palestinian prisoners.
An unnamed Israeli official confirmed the arrangement for body retrieval but withheld additional details. Reports from Israeli media suggested that the exchange might occur as soon as Wednesday, with the bodies being returned to Egyptian officials discreetly, avoiding any public spectacles.
Hamas’s previous hostage releases, in contrast, were conducted through grand ceremonies where hostages were showcased to hearty crowds, which Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N., termed degrading. In protest of these actions, Israel delayed an earlier prisoner release schedule.
This new agreement signifies the completion of obligations in the first ceasefire phase, under which Hamas is obligated to return 33 hostages, including eight deceased, in return for close to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Moreover, this could herald the arrival of Steve Witkoff, the White House’s Mideast envoy, who is anticipated to aid talks on a second negotiation phase centered on releasing all hostages held by Hamas and seeking war cessation. Although intended to start weeks prior, these Phase Two discussions have yet to commence.
The ceasefire, facilitated by the collaborative efforts of the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, concluded 15 months of conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. This clash resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli fatalities and around 250 hostages.
Israel’s military response has regrettably resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian fatalities, reported by health officials in Palestine, mandating roughly 90% of Gaza’s populace to move and significantly impairing Gaza’s infrastructure and health provisions. While Gaza’s Health Ministry has not distinguished between civilian and military deaths, it claims that the toll comprises largely women and children.
