Hamas to return remains of another Israeli hostage this evening under Gaza ceasefire deal

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Palestinian group Hamas said Thursday it will hand over the body of an Israeli hostage this evening under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The handover will take place in the Morag area, north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, at 8 pm local time (1800GMT), the group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on its official Telegram channel.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

Hamas has already released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 26 out of 28, most of them Israelis, since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. Israel, however, claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes 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.

Israel has killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,700 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.