ISTANBUL

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Friday that the 72-hour period for the release of Israeli captives in Gaza has officially begun, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

“CENTCOM has confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time. The 72 hour period to release the hostages has begun,” wrote Witkoff on the US social media company X.

Under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, Hamas is required to release 20 hostages and hand over the bodies of 28 deceased hostages within 72 hours of the agreement taking effect. However, the terms of the deal note challenges in locating the bodies of the deceased captives.​​​​​​​

In exchange for the Israeli hostages, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees who were arrested in Gaza since October 7, 2023.