Hamas has announced that they will be returning the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. This development comes just days before the expiration of the first phase of the ceasefire between the two conflicting parties.
Israel had delayed the release of approximately 600 Palestinian prisoners in protest of what they deemed as the cruel treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas. The militant group has labeled this delay as a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement and has stated that talks on a second phase cannot proceed until the Palestinian prisoners are freed.
