Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after Hamas arms over 4 hostages’ our bodies

Hamas has handed over what it says are the our bodies of 4 Israeli hostages from Gaza, in trade for tons of of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel is testing DNA samples to substantiate they’re the stays of Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, Tsachi Idan, 50, and Itzik Elgarat, 69, all of whom had been taken by Hamas within the 7 October 2023 assaults.

Early on Thursday, Israel started releasing greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners, with dozens returned to the occupied West Financial institution and Gaza, the place they had been met by jubilant crowds.

It is going to be the ultimate trade of the primary part of the ceasefire deal, which is because of finish on Saturday.

Israel is but to substantiate the outcomes of DNA checks carried out on the 4 our bodies returned as a part of the trade.

Preliminary checks had been anticipated to occur near the Israel-Gaza border, and Israeli media later reported they had been transported to a forensics laboratory in Tel Aviv.

It comes after the physique of a Palestinian lady from Gaza was handed over by Hamas to Israel as a substitute of the physique of Israeli Shiri Bibas final Thursday, upsetting fury in Israel. Hamas stated it was a misidentification and later handed a physique over to Israel confirmed to be that of Bibas.

Hamas handed the our bodies over privately, with no public ceremony, as Israel demanded, not like in earlier exchanges.

Israel has accused Hamas of “humiliating” handover ceremonies – and delayed final weekend’s prisoner launch due to what it stated was the merciless therapy of hostages on the handovers.

Earlier than Wednesday’s releases, a Hamas official instructed the AFP information company that the return of the 4 our bodies would happen “with out public presence to stop the occupation from discovering any pretext for delay or obstruction”.

Pictures launched by the Reuters information company confirmed a bus carrying what are believed to be Palestinian prisoners out of Ofer Jail within the West Financial institution late on Wednesday.

A bus carrying Palestinian prisoners later arrived at a checkpoint on the Ramallah Cultural Palace, the place a big crowd has gathered to rejoice their launch.

Later, dozens of Palestinian prisoners had been seen getting off buses outdoors a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza.

The Palestinian prisoners anticipated to be launched embrace greater than 400 Gazans detained by Israeli forces through the battle and 50 prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

Together with Ofer jail within the West Financial institution, Israel earlier stated prisoners would even be launched from Ketziot jail in southern Israel.

The Hamas-run Prisoners’ Media Workplace stated a hospital in Gaza was making ready to obtain the launched Palestinians.

Tsachi Idan, 50, was taken away by Hamas gunmen from his dwelling in Nahal Oz. His eldest youngster, Maayan – who had simply turned 18 – was shot lifeless within the assault. In August, Tsachi’s spouse, Gali, instructed US TV that the final she had heard of her husband was a report from launched hostages in November 2023.

In a press release by way of the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board, Tsachi’s household stated it’s “with nice disappointment” that they’ve learnt “our beloved Tsachi is now not alive and that his physique will probably be returned to Israel through the night time”.

Itzik Elgarat, 69, was kidnapped from Nir Oz, and reportedly shot within the hand through the assault. His telephone was traced to Gaza after the assault.

Ohad Yahalomi, 50, was kidnapped from Nir Oz, alongside along with his 12-year-old son, Eitan, who was launched through the November ceasefire.

In February 2025, the IDF stated it had knowledgeable the household of Iraq-born Shlomo Mansour, 86, that he was killed by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and his physique taken to Gaza.

The trade is the ultimate one earlier than the present part of the ceasefire deal ends on Saturday.

It stays unclear whether or not the truce will probably be prolonged, or progress to part two, which might see the discharge of all remaining dwelling hostages in Gaza in trade for extra Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations for part two had been resulting from begin throughout part one – however it’s believed they’ve but to start.

Wednesday’s hostage launch follows days of deadlock between Israel and Hamas – which was resolved by mediators on Tuesday.

Israel had been alleged to launch greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, in trade for the six dwelling and 4 lifeless hostages handed over by Hamas final week.

However Israel delayed the discharge, in protest at what it stated was Hamas’s merciless therapy of Israeli hostages as they had been handed over.

Additionally on Wednesday, hundreds of Israelis lined the roads of southern Israel for the funeral procession of three hostages who had been killed in captivity in Gaza – Shiri Bibas, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir.

Israeli TV channels carried a reside feed of the scenes and – after a non-public burial – the general public eulogies by family, with crowds gathering to observe on massive screens in Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Sq..

Kfir, aged 9 months, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was the youngest of the 251 hostages snatched within the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 assaults. His brother, Ariel, was simply 4.

Shiri Bibas and her kids had been buried in a single casket subsequent to the ultimate resting place of her dad and mom, Yossi and Margit Silberman, who lived in the identical kibbutz and had been killed there on 7 October.

In whole, some 1,200 individuals had been killed and 251 individuals taken hostage. It ignited the deadliest battle in Gaza’s historical past, through which greater than 48,000 individuals have been killed, in response to the Hamas-run well being ministry.