Four dead hostages are to be released by Hamas and Israel is to release over 600 imprisoned Palestinians who, according to the original agreement on ceasefire, should have been released already on Saturday.
Hamas has confirmed the new agreement. The release can be carried out via Egypt as early as Wednesday, according to an Israeli government source to The Times of Israel. However, a Hamas spokesperson tells the news agency AP that the handover of the four Israelis' remains will take place on Thursday instead.
Last week, Israel postponed the handover of the Palestinians after being outraged by Hamas' "display" of coffins and hostages during previous handovers.
Negotiations resume
The bodies are the last four to be handed over to Israel under the current ceasefire agreement's first phase, which expires on Sunday.
Negotiations on the ceasefire's second phase are now expected to resume, according to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
We're making big progress. Israel is sending a team right now, Witkoff said in connection with an event at the American Jewish Committee (AJC) on Tuesday.
It will either be in Doha or in Cairo, where the negotiations will resume with the Egyptians and Qataris, he added.
Wrong body
Last week, four coffins with the remains of hostages were placed on a stage in southern Gaza, along with armed Hamas men, ahead of the handover. One of the coffins was also found to contain a different body than agreed upon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then called Hamas "monsters" – and later announced that Saturday's planned release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel would be postponed.
Hamas has called the delay in the release a "serious violation" of the ceasefire agreement.
