Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, just days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is set to end. The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that authorities received the bodies early Thursday, with the caskets delivered through an Israeli crossing with the help of Egyptian mediators. The identification process has begun. At the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer prison, where crowds of cheering families, friends, and supporters gathered in Beitunia to catch a glimpse of the bus transporting the prisoners.
Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the release of the bodies would be carried out without a ceremony, unlike previous Hamas releases that included stage-managed public events. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, has condemned such ceremonies as humiliating for the hostages.
Hundreds of detainees arrested from Gaza and held by Israel on suspicion of militancy after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack without charge for months were headed back to the Gaza Strip. The released prisoners include 445 men, 21 teenagers, and one woman, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials. Only about 50 Palestinians were being released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, while dozens who were sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis would be exiled out of the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accepted them.
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Hamas had handed the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross. At the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying released Palestinian prisoners left Ofer prison. The family of Israeli hostage Tsachi Idan said they had received notification that he was among the four dead hostages to be returned by Hamas. A statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Idan was alive when taken hostage on October 7, 2023, and that his family had received several signs of life. He had been expected to be released in the previous hostage deal in November. His family is now awaiting confirmation of his death through official Israeli authorities.
Preparations were underway for the exchange, with Israel’s prison service planning to bring detainees to two central prisons before their release. The Red Cross was expected to transport Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank and Gaza upon notification from Israeli authorities. Israel confirmed that Hamas would release four hostages’ bodies late Wednesday, while the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated that Israel was expected to release hundreds of prisoners the same night. Netanyahu’s office reiterated that the release would take place without a public ceremony. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club noted that Israel had delayed the release of over 600 prisoners last weekend in protest of Hamas’ public release ceremonies, which Israel considered cruel to the hostages.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike in Lebanon near the Syrian border killed at least one person and wounded another. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency did not identify the victim, but the Israeli military claimed it targeted a Hezbollah militant involved in weapons transfers. The strike took place in the Qasr area near the border with Syria.
In a separate development, Egypt rejected a proposal by Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid suggesting that Egypt should rule and rebuild the Gaza Strip in exchange for debt relief. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry responded by stating that any proposal that does not include Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is unacceptable. Egypt has been developing its own plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, linking it to the progress toward Palestinian statehood.
A freed Israeli hostage, Iair Horn, pleaded for the return of his younger brother, Eitan, who remains held in Gaza. Horn, released two weeks ago, addressed supporters in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, emphasizing that 63 hostages, including his brother, were still “fighting just to breathe” in captivity. He urged Israeli leaders to sign an agreement for the second phase of the ceasefire, which could see the return of the remaining hostages.
An Israeli human rights group reported that Palestinian doctors from Gaza have faced systematic abuse in Israeli military detention, including starvation and medical neglect. A report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, based on interviews with 24 detained doctors, described instances of beatings, torture, and poor medical treatment. Israeli authorities did not respond to the allegations, but in the past, they have claimed that any wrongdoing is investigated and punished accordingly.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of expansionism in Syria, criticizing recent statements by Netanyahu that Israel would not allow Syria’s new army to enter areas south of Damascus. Fidan condemned Israel’s actions as regional aggression and called for an end to its military presence in Syria.
Israeli authorities charged a recently released Palestinian prisoner with a traffic violation after he was seen celebrating his release by standing inside a moving vehicle without a seatbelt. The Israeli police said the act endangered lives and violated traffic laws. The prisoner, Ashraf Zaghir, had previously been convicted of transporting a suicide bomber in a 2002 attack that killed six people. It was unclear whether Israeli authorities planned to rearrest him over the violation.
Palestinian medics in Gaza reported the death of a seventh infant due to hypothermia in the past two weeks. Dr. Munir al-Boursh of Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that a two-month-old infant, Seela Abdel Qader, died Wednesday amid a severe cold wave. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians continue to live in crowded tents and damaged buildings due to the ongoing war, with humanitarian conditions deteriorating.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions in Syria, calling them reckless provocations and an attempt to create an illegitimate reality in the region. He urged the international community to take a clear stance against Israel’s military actions.
Since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has regularly conducted airstrikes on military sites in Syria and moved its forces into southern Syrian territories adjacent to the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
