Hamas will deliver the bodies of another 4 Israeli hostages in exchange for freeing hundreds of prisoners

Hamas will deliver the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for the release of hundreds of prisoners in Israel, the group said a few days before the first phase of the high fire between the two sides expires.

Israel has delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what he considers a cruel treatment of Hamas to the hostages during his release.

The insurgent group said that the delay is a «serious violation» of the high fire and that the conversations for the second phase will not be possible until the Palestinians regain freedom.

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the group will deliver the bodies of four Israeli more on Thursday.

In return, Israel should leave prisoners free, as well as an un specified number of women and minors detained from the attack headed by the group on October 7, 2023, which unleashed the conflict.

An Israeli official confirmed that the delivery of four hostage bodies was expected, but did not offer more details. The official spoke about anonymity because he was not authorized to inform the press.

Israel and Hamas said on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to return the bodies, but no date had been announced.

Hamas has given the hostages and the bodies of four deaths in large public events during which the Israelis were exhibited and were forced to greet great crowds.

Criticism of liberation ceremonies

Israel, such as the Red Cross and United Nations officials, has affirmed that these ceremonies are humiliating for hostages, and last weekend delayed the release of prisoners scheduled in protest.

There will be no public act when the four bodies are returned to Israel in the last exchange in the early hours of Thursday, according to a senior Hamas official who was not authorized to speak with the media, so he did it under condition of anonymity.

The stagnation around the exchange had threatened to collapse the high fire on the eve that the first six -week phase expires this weekend.

The last pact would complete the obligations of both parties: it would return to 33 hostages – including eight bodies – in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

I could also pave the way for the expected visit of the White House envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to the region this week.

Witkoff has stated that they want the parties to advance towards the negotiations of the second phase, during which all the remaining hostages in the possession of Hamas and the end of the war will be agreed. The dialogue should have begun weeks ago, something that did not happen.

El Alto El Fuego, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of intense fighting that exploded after the attack of Hamas that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel and took others 250 as hostages.

Israel’s military offensive has claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gazati health officials, has displaced around 90 % of the population of the Strip and has razed the infrastructure and health system of the Situia Enclave.

The Ministry of Health, led by Hamas, does not differentiate between civil and combatant victims in their counting, but states that more than half of the deceased are women and children.

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