Hamas has mentioned it’s getting ready to launch the final 4 Israeli hostage our bodies included within the preliminary section of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The our bodies of Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi and Shlomo Mantzur will likely be handed over to Israel on Wednesday evening, the armed wing of the militant group mentioned.
Mr Idan’s household mentioned in an announcement: “Our family has received with great sadness Hamas’s announcement that our beloved Tsachi is no longer alive and that his body will be returned to Israel during the night.”
It continues: “Since Tsachi was kidnapped, we received several signs of life, and in the previous deal last November, Tsachi was alive and expected to be released.
“We respect the super love and help we’re receiving from the residents of Israel, the media, and the Nahal Oz neighborhood.”
An Israeli official has confirmed it’s ready to obtain the our bodies at round 11pm native time.
Egyptian mediators confirmed as we speak that that they had secured a breakthrough that ought to permit the handover of the ultimate 4 hostage our bodies due within the first section of the deal after a days-long deadlock.
Hamas confirmed that an settlement had been reached for the change of hostages for prisoners, however mentioned their launch can be carried out below a brand new mechanism.
It mentioned the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza was getting ready to obtain prisoners after their launch.
Israel had beforehand refused to launch greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday after accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal by staging what it thought-about an offensive public handover of hostages in Gaza.
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Gaza hostage household mourned in Israel
Days earlier, the settlement was held up briefly when Hamas handed over the stays of an unidentified lady as a substitute of mother-of-two Shiri Bibas earlier than delivering the right physique the following day.
With the 42-day truce resulting from expire on Saturday, it additionally stays unclear whether or not an extension will likely be agreed or whether or not negotiations can start on a second stage of the deal, which might see the discharge of the ultimate 59 hostages left in Gaza.
Hamas mentioned that, thus far, it had not obtained any proposal for the second stage.
Regardless of quite a few hiccups, the ceasefire deal has thus far held up.
However transferring to a second section would require agreements on points which have proved inconceivable to bridge up to now, together with the post-war way forward for Gaza and Hamas, which Israel has vowed to eradicate as a governing drive.
Underlining the precariousness of the ceasefire, the Israeli army mentioned a projectile was fired from Gaza however fell withinthe enclave. It mentioned it was investigating the incident.
The change comes on the identical day because the funeral for Ms Bibas and her two sons – four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir – who got here to symbolise the trauma felt by many Israelis after the 7 October assault.
