Middle East: Palestinians arrive in Ramallah after arrival of dead hostages

At about the same time, several Palestinian prisoners were released and four dead hostages were handed over to Israel. The militant Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip handed over the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages to the Red Cross. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday night that the bodies of four men had been handed over to Israel. According to Israeli sources, the coffins were brought across an Israeli border crossing with the help of Egyptian mediators.

At about the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left the Israeli military prison of Ofer. In the town of Beitunia, cheering relatives and supporters of the Palestinian prisoners gathered. As part of the agreement, another 600 or so Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons.

Israeli media published the names of the four people killed, whom the Islamists had taken hostage to the Gaza Strip during their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas had also already named the four men. However, the Israeli government and the hostage families' forum did not initially confirm them. Tel Aviv said that "a preliminary identification process" had been initiated on Israeli soil.

After the ceasefire agreement had been hanging in the balance for days, Israel and Hamas had recently reached an agreement on the exchange. Israel had suspended the release of the prisoners since Saturday to protest against what it considered to be the cruel treatment of the hostages and the martial staging of their release by Hamas. Israel, the Red Cross and representatives of the United Nations described the ceremonies as humiliating for the hostages. Hamas called the delay a "serious violation" of the ceasefire agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office announced on Wednesday that the handover of the bodies would now take place without a ceremony.

The release of the Palestinian prisoners took place as part of a ceasefire that has been in effect since January 19 in exchange for the release of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip. As part of the agreement, Hamas has so far handed over a total of 25 living and four dead hostages to Israel, in return for which more than 1,100 Palestinians have been released from Israeli custody.