Deal back on to exchange Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostage bodies
Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed the agreement, under Egyptian supervision, saying it was part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel.
Palestinian militant group Hamas fighters stand on stage next to the coffins of the four Israeli hostages during the handing them over to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on 20 February 2025. Picture: AFP
CAIRO - Mediators have reached an agreement to release all Palestinian prisoners who were due to be freed last week in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, Egyptian state-linked media reported late Tuesday.
Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed the agreement, under Egyptian supervision, saying it was part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel.
On Sunday, Hamas accused Israel of endangering the five-week-old Gaza truce by delaying the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel justified the delay by citing concerns over how the hostages have been freed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing them as "humiliating ceremonies".
Since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed fighters have escorted the captives onto stages decorated with slogans.
Israel has released over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has urged all parties to carry out prisoner and hostage swaps "in a dignified and private manner".
HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL
Given the nature of the deep-rooted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, prisoner releases from Israeli jails are highly controversial.
In Israel, the prisoners are largely viewed as "terrorists" for the violent attacks they have carried out against civilians and security forces.
The Israeli authorities and much of the public see their imprisonment as a necessary measure to prevent further attacks.
For Palestinians, however, the releases are viewed as long-delayed justice with the prisoners often regarded as symbols of resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, but it has so far held.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after its 7 October 2023 attack, and has made bringing back all hostages seized that day one of its war objectives.
The attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, and Israel's retaliation killed more than 48,000 in Gaza, according to figures from both sides.
US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said he was headed to the Middle East this week to "get an extension of phase one" of the truce.
"We're hopeful that we have the proper time... to begin phase two, and finish it off and get more hostages released," Witkoff told CNN.
Trump has floated the idea of a US takeover of war-ravaged Gaza under which its Palestinian inhabitants would move elsewhere, triggering widespread criticism.
Alongside the Gaza war - which displaced almost the enclave's entire population of 2.4 million - Israel has intensified its military operations in the West Bank.
The Israeli army said Tuesday it carried out air strikes targeting military sites containing weapons in southern Syria, just days after Netanyahu called for demilitarising the area.
At least two people were killed by a strike on one of the sites, the headquarters of a military unit southwest of Damascus, a war monitor said.