Gaza ceasefire: Hamas to return bodies, Israel to release prisoners

Tents for displaced Palestinians are lined up in front of a war-damaged building, west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo / AFP

Hamas’ armed wing said Wednesday that it would hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages “tonight” as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

“Within the framework of the deal, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades has decided to hand over the bodies of four hostages tonight,” the group said, providing the names of the captives, which Israeli authorities have yet to confirm.

A Hamas official had said earlier that 602 prisoners who had been due for release in a swap over the weekend would instead be freed in return for the bodies.

Israel had halted the prisoners' release to protest what it called the “humiliating” public ceremonies that have accompanied previous transfers of hostages and remains.

The official said the coming handover would be done in private.

Another 23 people, all women and minors, would also be released, he said.

The Israel Prison Service said Wednesday that it was “making preparations for... releasing imprisoned terrorists in accordance with the agreement for the return of the hostages”.

Palestinian children play in a war-damaged merry-go-round at the destroyed children's park west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo / AFP

A second Hamas official familiar with the exchange told AFP that the Palestinian prisoners would be released as soon as the bodies were returned.

“Hamas will hand over the bodies of the four Israeli prisoners by midnight, and in return, Israeli authorities will release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners from the seventh batch simultaneously,” he told AFP, referring to the inmates whose release had been delayed.

The remaining 23 Palestinians would be freed after Israeli authorities verified the dead hostages' identities, he added.

“This arrangement was made based on a proposal presented by the mediators, which Hamas agreed to,” the official said.

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that “within hours” Palestinians would witness “the release of the seventh batch of our prisoners – the largest batch so far – under the ceasefire agreement”.

-Agence France-Presse