Hamas has expressed its readiness to discuss the following steps in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip. The recent development follows an exchange where Hamas returned what they claimed were the remains of four hostages, receiving in return over 600 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.
This marks the closure of a series of exchanges that both parties had agreed upon as part of a truce due to expire by the weekend. Talks concerning a second phase, which would involve Hamas releasing additional hostages for more prisoner releases and ensuring a durable ceasefire, have yet to commence.
In a statement, Hamas emphasized that dialogue and adherence to the current agreement are the sole pathways for Israel to secure the freedom of the remaining hostages. The group cautioned that deviating from the truce could result in increased suffering for the hostages and their families. It was confirmed by Hamas that the overnight release involved over 600 prisoners, primarily detainees brought back to Gaza after being detained post the attack on October 7, 2023, held without charges under security suspicions.
In recent developments, Israel has not yet released 24 Palestinian detainees it was scheduled to discharge overnight. These include 23 teenagers and one woman who had been apprehended during Israeli military raids in Gaza. The failure to release these detainees follows Hamas returning the bodies of four hostages to Israel.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group for current and former prisoners, noted that in addition to the 24, there is another group of 22 Palestinians, predominantly minors aged 15-19 and one woman, who Israel is also expected to release. The ceasefire agreement obligates Israel to release over 1,000 detainees uninvolved in the October 7 attacks.
In other news, an Israeli official indicated that there would be no withdrawal from the corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, counter to the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. This corridor, known as the Philadelphi corridor, is critical for preventing arms smuggling, according to the official.
Israel’s presence in the corridor might provoke tensions with Hamas and Egypt, who has consistently pushed for Israeli withdrawal. As the first phase of the ceasefire nears its conclusion this weekend, discussions for the subsequent stage have not been initiated.
Meanwhile, an Israeli organization representing hostages’ families confirmed the identification of three of the four bodies returned by Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced that the remains of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur have been identified. Mantzur, 85, had been killed during the October 7 attack, with his body taken into Gaza. The circumstances of Yahalomi and Elgarat’s deaths remain unclear.
