ISTANBUL
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas confirmed that it will hand over the remains of two more Israeli captives in Gaza on Wednesday night under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a brief statement that the two bodies will be handed over at 10 pm local time (1900 GMT).
Hamas stressed that it has fulfilled its commitments under the ceasefire deal.
“The resistance has abided by what was agreed upon, delivering all living captives it held and all the bodies it was able to reach,” the group said in another statement.
“The remaining bodies require significant effort and specialized equipment to locate and recover, and we are working hard to close this file,” it added.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.
Under the deal, Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of eight captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,900 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.