Hamas handed over the bodies of 4 hostages, and Israel released 625 prisoners (video)

^{Photo: Al Jazeera}
On February 26, Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to Israel. In exchange, Israel released 625 Palestinian prisoners. This was reported by Reuters.

The ceasefire regime in Gaza came into effect on January 19, and its first phase is expected to end this week. However, the fate of the next phase to stop the fighting and continue the peace process is still unknown. Hamas expressed its readiness to continue negotiations, stressing that the only way to free the hostages is to adhere to the ceasefire.

Hamas handed over the bodies of the hostages on February 26, and Israel responded by releasing 625 Palestinian prisoners. Earlier, on February 22, Hamas handed over the bodies of six hostages to Israel, but Israel described this as a “staged ceremony” and refused to release the prisoners.

The bodies of 69-year-old Nir Oz Itsik Elgarat, 49-year-old Sakhi Idan, 85-year-old Shlomo Mansur and another hostage were handed over to Israel. As part of the first phase, 25 Israelis are scheduled to be released and the bodies of eight hostages will be handed over by March 2.

According to Hamas sources, the Palestinian prisoners expected to be released include 445 men, 24 women and minors, as well as 151 prisoners serving life sentences.

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on January 15 to release hostages in Gaza and impose a ceasefire in the enclave. The agreement, which entered into force on January 19, consists of three phases, the first of which is scheduled to last 42 days. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”