Isreal, Palestine Exchange Dead Hostages and Prisoners Amid Truce Expiration

Isreal and Palestine have completed the exchange of four coffins said to contain the remains of Israeli hostages, as Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in an overnight swap as part of the fragile ceasefire deal.

The exchange marks the start of the final swap in the 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which is set to expire this weekend unless an agreement is struck to extend it. The two sides were meant to begin talks on a permanent end to the war early this month, but it is unclear whether those discussions have begun.

Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Wednesday that the remains of hostages Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi and Shlomo Mantzur would be handed over. All four were take captive in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The latest transfer was held in private after the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said an agreement had been reached for the bodies to be returned “in an agreed-upon procedure and without Hamas ceremonies.”

Israel is expected to release a total of 642 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, according to Palestinian Prisoners Media Office. Among them are detainees, including women and children, who have been held without charge, prisoners who were serving life sentences and long sentences, as well as the longest-serving Palestinian political prisoner.

Red Cross said it handed over the four coffins to the Israeli military at the Kerem Shalom crossing through Egyptian mediators, and the process of identifying the bodies had now begun on Israeli territory.

“The families of the hostages are being continuously updated on the situation and will be given an official notification at the end of the full identification process,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, asking the public to respect the privacy of the hostages’ families.

Red Cross buses carrying hundreds of Palestinians detained by Israel arrived in Gaza early Thursday. Wearing light gray uniforms, the Palestinians could be seen disembarking the buses outside of the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis to be reunited with their families.

Crowds of journalists and residents watched as what sounded like celebratory gunfire could be heard in the background.

Earlier Saturday, Hamas had released six Israeli hostages from Gaza in two public ceremonies and one private transfer, in what was the final return of living hostages in the first phase of a ceasefire deal that began last month.

Cheers Of Freedom

In Gaza, CNN footage from the European Hospital in Khan Younis showed three prisoners arrive in ambulances to the intensive care unit, where they were greeted by loved ones.

Others who disembarked from Red Cross buses also appeared weak and thin, with some having difficulty walking.

One freed man was welcomed by his wife and children, who cried as they hugged him tightly. “I was so afraid. Every day I prayed that they were doing well,” he said.

An elderly man could be seen hugging his brother tightly. “Take me home, I beg you. Take me home. I want to see my children,” he said.

In Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, scenes of jubilation greeted a group of Palestinian prisoners who were seen disembarking from a Red Cross vehicle in the early hours of Thursday.

Among the 642 Palestinian prisoners and detainees expected to be released, just under 500 are expected to be sent back to Gaza, including 445 who have been detained in the enclave since the war began in October 2023 and have been held without charge, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma