Hamas has handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to mediators. In return, Israel will release 625 Palestinian prisoners. They were due to be released last Saturday but have been delayed “until the release of the next hostages is guaranteed, and without humiliating ceremonies.”
The Israeli prime minister’s office said the names of the dead would only be officially confirmed after an Israeli forensic examination.
The first group of prisoners released by Israel has already been transferred to the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israel has said that despite Hamas’s announcement of a simultaneous exchange, the Palestinian prisoners will only be released after the bodies of the four Israelis are identified, a process that could take hours.
