Israel releases 642 Palestinian prisoners, receives bodies of 4 hostages
ALBAWABA - Israel released 642 Palestinian prisoners at dawn on Thursday as part of the seventh batch of the exchange deal that was agreed between Hamas and Israeli authorities in January.
Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross which will transfer them to Tel Aviv, as part of the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
This exchange process was supposed to take place last Saturday and witnessed Israeli postponement, due to claims that Hamas "provoked the Gaza ceasefire deal" during the previous handover of the hostages.
بوساطة مصرية
بالفيديو والصور: حماس تُسلم جثث رهائن إسرائيليين والآخر يفرج عن أسرى فلسطينيين #عاجل
https://t.co/PjEuoyo9qS — المواطن (@almwa_tn) February 27, 2025
As no second phase was reached between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement renewed its full commitment to the ceasefire agreement on Thursday, with all its details and provisions, stressing its readiness to enter into negotiations related to the second phase of the agreement.
On the other hand, Axios quoted US President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, as saying on Wednesday, that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha or Cairo in the coming days to negotiate a deal to exchange Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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