Hamas swaps bodies of hostages for detainees
JERUSALEM—Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages while it waited for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return, in an overnight exchange marking the final swap as part of a fragile truce in Gaza.
After days of impasse, Egyptian mediators secured the handover of the bodies of the final four hostages in the deal’s first phase, for 620 Palestinians either detained by Israeli forces in Gaza or jailed in Israel.
The four bodies have been received by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
The Palestinian detainees due to be released include 445 men and 24 women and minors arrested in Gaza, as well as 151 prisoners serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis, according to a Hamas source.
