The Israeli government said it expects to release all remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning. In return, Israel is preparing to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The move is a significant step in a peace deal aimed at ending the two-year conflict in Gaza.
Israeli government spokesman Shosh Bedrosian said: “We expect our 20 surviving hostages to be handed over to the Red Cross at the same time and transported in six to eight vehicles.”
The released hostages will be taken to a military base to be reunited with their families, or to hospitals if they require medical attention. The bodies of the deceased hostages will be taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.
A Hamas spokesman told Al Jazeera that the surviving hostages had gathered in Gaza, and the group would meet with Red Cross representatives on Sunday evening to agree on the details of the release process.
Hamas has demanded the release of several commanders, prominent Palestinian politicians, and detained doctors, including doctors Hussam Abu Safia and Marwan al-Hamsi, who were arrested in Gaza during the war, as well as political leader Marwan Barghouti. However, they are not included in the list of those to be released. Hamas said it was continuing negotiations with Israel to secure their release.
