By admin 
Jerusalem:
Israel and Hamas have reached a new agreement to exchange the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, helping to maintain the fragile ceasefire for at least a few more days. According to Egyptian state-linked media, the agreement includes the release of four Israeli hostages’ bodies in return for all Palestinian prisoners previously scheduled for release.
Delays and Disputes Over Prisoner Releases
Israel had postponed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday in response to what it described as the “humiliating treatment” of Israeli hostages by Hamas during their release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned these public parades, calling them “humiliating ceremonies.” In contrast, Hamas accused Israel of a “serious violation” of the ceasefire, stating that further negotiations on the second phase of the deal could not proceed until the prisoners were freed.
The delay threatened to collapse the five-week-old truce, with the first phase of the deal set to expire this weekend.
New Agreement Under Egyptian Supervision
On Tuesday, Hamas confirmed that under Egyptian mediation, a new agreement had been reached. The Palestinian prisoners previously slated for release would now be freed simultaneously with the transfer of the bodies of the Israeli hostages. Additionally, a new set of Palestinian prisoners would be released as part of the arrangement.
Israeli media reported that the exchange could take place as early as Wednesday, with the bodies of the Israeli hostages being handed over to Egyptian authorities without any public ceremonies.
Ongoing Gaza Ceasefire
Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Hamas has released 25 Israeli hostages in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed militants have paraded the captives on stages decorated with slogans. In response, Israel has released over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has also previously released the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages in large public ceremonies, where the captives were made to wave to large crowds. These actions were widely condemned by Israel, as well as the Red Cross and UN officials. Following these incidents, the International Committee of the Red Cross urged all parties to conduct prisoner and hostage exchanges “in a dignified and private manner.”
Completion of Phase 1 and Next Steps
The new agreement would mark the completion of both sides’ commitments under the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Hamas had originally agreed to return 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
This final prisoner-hostage exchange could also pave the way for a visit by White House Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who is expected to arrive in the region in the coming days. Witkoff has expressed his desire for both sides to begin negotiations on the second phase of the deal, which would involve the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas and discussions on ending the conflict. However, these talks, initially scheduled to begin weeks ago, have yet to take place.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, brought an end to 15 months of intense fighting. The conflict escalated after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and the capture of around 250 hostages.
Gill Bikram Singh