Israel recovers hostage bodies, releases Palestinian detainees

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Egypt received 97 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli custody via the Rafah border crossing, after their transfer from Kerem Shalom in three buses.

An Egyptian security source told the German Press Agency (DPA) that the prisoners would be transported to Cairo, where they could either remain in Egypt or travel to another country.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel had recovered the bodies of four hostages through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The remains were transferred to Israeli forces at the Kerem Shalom crossing via Egyptian mediation, where preliminary identification procedures began.

The statement confirmed that the hostages' families had been kept informed and would receive official notification when the identification process was completed. It also urged the public to respect the families’ privacy and avoid spreading unverified information.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, a bus carrying freed Palestinian detainees arrived at a crowd of celebrants.

Under the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, more than 600 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released, according to Hamas officials, with most of them originating from Gaza.

The Gaza ceasefire, which began on January 19, 2025, has seen significant developments regarding the release of hostages and prisoners. In the initial phase, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

However, there have been challenges and delays. Israel delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners due to what it called the “cruel treatment” of hostages during their handover by Hamas. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and stated that talks on a second phase could not proceed until the prisoners were freed.

Both sides have faced accusations of violations. Israel has been accused of killing Palestinians on a near-daily basis and hindering aid since the ceasefire began. Hamas has been criticized for staging public handovers of hostages, which Israel and international officials found “humiliating.”