ISTANBUL
Israel is preparing to receive the remains of five more captives from Hamas on Wednesday night under the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israeli media said.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the bodies will be handed over on Wednesday night, without giving any further details.
There was no confirmation yet from Hamas.
Hamas has already transferred the remains of eight captives to Israel through the Red Cross since Monday, though Tel Aviv said that one of the bodies did not match the hostages. The Palestinian group also released 20 living captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire deal.
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.
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.