By admin 
Israeli and Hamas officials confirm that mediators have resolved the recent deadlock in the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Israel had postponed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, citing Hamas’s mistreatment of Israeli hostages. Hamas condemned this as a serious breach of the deal. However, an agreement has now been reached, and the prisoner release is expected to move forward, along with an additional batch later on Wednesday or Thursday, in exchange for the return of four Israeli hostages’ bodies.
This breakthrough is expected to pave the way for US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to visit the region and push for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Hostage Funeral Draws Thousands
As news of the agreement emerged, thousands of Israelis gathered in Rishon LeZion for the funeral procession of hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. Their bodies were returned by Hamas last week after they were killed in captivity following their abduction during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which ignited the ongoing war in Gaza.
Prisoner Release and Ceasefire Negotiations
Hamas announced that a delegation, led by Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, concluded talks in Cairo and reached a resolution regarding the delayed prisoner release. The group confirmed that the Palestinian detainees would be freed simultaneously with the Israeli hostages’ bodies, alongside the agreed release of Palestinian women and children.
While the Israeli government has not officially confirmed the deal, Israeli sources told Haaretz that Hamas would likely return the bodies of four hostages—believed to be Shlomo Mansour (86), Ohad Yahalomi (50), Tsachi Idan (50), and Itzik Elgarat (69)—on Wednesday evening at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza. Their families have already been notified.
Egyptian officials stated that Hamas had agreed to transfer the bodies on Thursday without any ceremonies in Gaza.
Hamas previously warned that it would refuse to participate in further indirect ceasefire negotiations unless the prisoners were released. Under the current agreement, Israel was set to free 620 Palestinian prisoners—including more than 400 Gazans detained during the war and 50 serving life sentences—in return for six living and four deceased hostages handed over last week.
Ceasefire Deal Progress
The first phase of the ceasefire deal, scheduled to conclude on Saturday, involves the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. So far, 25 living Israeli hostages and four deceased ones have been freed, with both Israel and Hamas confirming that the remaining four are also dead. Additionally, five Thai hostages have been released outside the agreement.
As part of the truce, Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza’s densely populated areas, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the north. Meanwhile, hundreds of aid trucks are now entering the territory daily.
The ceasefire’s second phase is expected to include the release of 57 remaining hostages, a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and a permanent ceasefire agreement.
Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis
Israel launched its military campaign to dismantle Hamas following the October 7 attack, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Since then, at least 48,348 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Most of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced multiple times, with nearly 70% of buildings reportedly damaged or destroyed. The territory is also experiencing severe shortages of essential resources, including food, fuel, medicine, and shelter, while critical infrastructure such as healthcare, water, and sanitation systems have collapsed.
Gill Bikram Singh