Israeli hostage release: Hamas hands over four bodies

Hamas has handed implicit what it says are the bodies of 4 Israeli hostages from Gaza, successful speech for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel is investigating DNA samples to corroborate they are the remains of Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, Tsachi Idan, 50, and Itzik Elgarat, 69, each of whom were taken by Hamas successful the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Early connected Thursday, Israel began releasing much than 600 Palestinian prisoners, with dozens returned to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, wherever they were met by jubilant crowds.

It volition beryllium the last speech of the archetypal signifier of the ceasefire deal, which is owed to extremity connected Saturday.

Israel is yet to corroborate the results of DNA tests carried retired connected the 4 bodies returned arsenic portion of the exchange.

Initial tests were expected to hap adjacent to the Israel-Gaza border, and Israeli media aboriginal reported they were transported to a forensics laboratory successful Tel Aviv.

It comes aft the assemblage of a Palestinian pistillate from Gaza was handed implicit by Hamas to Israel alternatively of the assemblage of Israeli Shiri Bibas past Thursday, provoking fury successful Israel. Hamas said it was a misidentification and aboriginal handed a assemblage implicit to Israel confirmed to beryllium that of Bibas.

Hamas handed the bodies implicit privately, with nary nationalist ceremony, arsenic Israel demanded, dissimilar successful erstwhile exchanges.

Israel has accused Hamas of "humiliating" handover ceremonies - and delayed past weekend's captive merchandise due to the fact that of what it said was the cruel attraction of hostages astatine the handovers.

Before Wednesday's releases, a Hamas authoritative told the AFP quality bureau that the instrumentality of the 4 bodies would instrumentality spot "without nationalist beingness to forestall the concern from uncovering immoderate pretext for hold oregon obstruction".

Photos released by the Reuters quality bureau showed a autobus carrying what are believed to beryllium Palestinian prisoners retired of Ofer Prison successful the West Bank precocious connected Wednesday.

A autobus carrying Palestinian prisoners aboriginal arrived astatine a checkpoint astatine the Ramallah Cultural Palace, wherever a ample assemblage has gathered to observe their release.

Later, dozens of Palestinian prisoners were seen getting disconnected buses extracurricular a infirmary successful Khan Younis, Gaza.

The Palestinian prisoners expected to beryllium released see much than 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces during the warfare and 50 prisoners serving beingness sentences successful Israeli jails.

Along with Ofer situation successful the West Bank, Israel earlier said prisoners would besides beryllium released from Ketziot situation successful confederate Israel.

The Hamas-run Prisoners' Media Office said a infirmary successful Gaza was preparing to person the released Palestinians.

Tsachi Idan, 50, was taken distant by Hamas gunmen from his location successful Nahal Oz. His eldest child, Maayan - who had conscionable turned 18 - was changeable dormant successful the attack. In August, Tsachi's wife, Gali, told US TV that the past she had heard of her hubby was a study from released hostages successful November 2023.

In a connection via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Tsachi's household said it is "with large sadness" that they person learnt "our beloved Tsachi is nary longer live and that his assemblage volition beryllium returned to Israel during the night".

Itzik Elgarat, 69, was kidnapped from Nir Oz, and reportedly changeable successful the manus during the attack. His telephone was traced to Gaza aft the attack.

Ohad Yahalomi, 50, was abducted from Nir Oz, on with his 12-year-old son, Eitan, who was released during the November ceasefire.

In February 2025, the IDF said it had informed the household of Iraq-born Shlomo Mansour, 86, that helium was killed by Hamas connected 7 October 2023 and his assemblage taken to Gaza.

The speech is the last 1 earlier the existent signifier of the ceasefire woody ends connected Saturday.

It remains unclear whether the truce volition beryllium extended, oregon advancement to signifier two, which would spot the merchandise of each remaining surviving hostages successful Gaza successful speech for much Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations for signifier 2 were owed to commencement during signifier 1 - but it is believed they person yet to begin.

Wednesday's hostage merchandise follows days of impasse betwixt Israel and Hamas - which was resolved by mediators connected Tuesday.

Israel had been expected to merchandise much than 600 Palestinian prisoners connected Saturday, successful speech for the six surviving and 4 dormant hostages handed implicit by Hamas past week.

But Israel delayed the release, successful protestation astatine what it said was Hamas's cruel attraction of Israeli hostages arsenic they were handed over.

Also connected Wednesday, thousands of Israelis lined the roads of confederate Israel for the ceremonial procession of 3 hostages who were killed successful captivity successful Gaza - Shiri Bibas, and her 2 sons, Ariel and Kfir.

Israeli TV channels carried a unrecorded provender of the scenes and - aft a backstage burial - the nationalist eulogies by relatives, with crowds gathering to ticker connected ample screens successful Tel Aviv's Hostages' Square.

Kfir, aged 9 months, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was the youngest of the 251 hostages snatched successful the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks. His brother, Ariel, was conscionable four.

Shiri Bibas and her children were buried successful a azygous casket adjacent to the last resting spot of her parents, Yossi and Margit Silberman, who lived successful the aforesaid kibbutz and were killed determination connected 7 October.

In total, immoderate 1,200 radical were killed and 251 radical taken hostage. It ignited the deadliest warfare successful Gaza's history, successful which much than 48,000 radical person been killed, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry.