Hamas to hand over remains of 2 Israeli hostages tonight under ceasefire deal

By Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Palestinian resistance group Hamas confirmed Saturday evening that it will hand over the remains of two Israeli captives tonight under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on Telegram that the handover will take place at 10.00 pm local time (1900GMT).

Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 11 more captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement.

The deal was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed 68,116 people and injured 170,200 others, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday.