Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli captives
Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli captives, including a mother and her two children of the Bibas family, in exchange for hundreds Palestinians to be released later this week.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya announced the release of the four bodies on Tuesday, adding that another six living hostages, including Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu who have been detained in Gaza since 2014, are expected to be released this Saturday.
The four other Israeli captives, taken on 7 October 2023, include Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen.
Shiri Bibas and her two children, Kfir and Ariel, were reportedly killed in an air strike in November 2023, according to Hamas. Yarden Bibas, Shiri's husband, was released last month during phase one of the ceasefire deal.
The body of Oded Lifshitz was also released. Lifshitz was was 83 when he was abducted from the Nir Oz settlement he established with his wife, Yocheved.
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Lifshitz was a former journalist and peace activist who called for a two-state solution. His wife was among those released in late October 2023.
A total of 1,135 Palestinian prisoners have been freed from Israeli prisons so far. On Saturday, Israel is set to release hundreds more Palestinians, expected to be women and minors detained by Israeli forces in Gaza during the war.
Entry of aid and equipment
As part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, an increase in humanitarian aid and equipment into Gaza must also be facilitated.
Israel had agreed under the terms of the ceasefire to allow 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza, but so far only 20,000 tents have been allowed in and no mobile homes.
According to Egyptian media, the first batch of mobile homes crossed from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing to the Kerem Shalom crossing in preparation for their entry into Gaza.
The Cairo News Channel reported that "a bulldozer with 15 mobile homes via five trucks" is set to enter Gaza on Thursday, without providing further details.
Israel has blocked the entry of temporary housing into the Gaza Strip despite agreeing to allow it as part of the ceasefire.
Aid started flowing into Gaza over the weekend following a tense showdown between Israel and Hamas that threatened to unravel the deal.
After Hamas called on Israel to keep to the terms of the deal if it wanted the next tranche of captives released that Saturday as planned, US President Donald Trump threatened that “all hell will break loose” if all the living captives were not released.
Israel then warned of a "new Gaza war of another intensity altogether" that would "allow the realisation of Trump's vision for Gaza".
However, intensified efforts by Egypt and Qatar succeeded in "overcoming the obstacles" hindering the agreement, AFP reported, citing Egyptian state media.
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