Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said on Wednesday that it will hand over the bodies of four Israeli hosts tomorrow in exchange for the release of hundreds of Israeli prisoners.
“The resistance will hand over the bodies of the four Israeli prisoners tomorrow, along with Israel’s release of a number of pending Palestinian prisoners, along with Palestinian women and children,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Anadolu Agency.
He stressed that “clear guarantees” had been obtained from the mediators and that a new mechanism had been agreed to ensure Israel fulfilled its commitments. However, he did not reveal the details of the mechanism.
Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua, another Hamas spokesperson, said in a statement that the exchange would proceed “based on a new mechanism that ensures Israel’s compliance.”
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“The Egyptian mediators secured this agreement, and we remain committed to completing and enforcing it,” he added.
After the exchange, all prisoner releases under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement will be completed.
The first phase included the release of 33 Israeli prisoners and 1,737 Palestinian prisoners in stages over six weeks.
Israel refused to release 620 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli prisoners on Saturday, citing what it called a “degrading handover ceremony” for the hostages. []
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)