Hamas to hand over 10 more captives, four of them dead, accelerating Gaza releases

CAIRO – 19 February 2025: Hamas leader said the movement will return the bodies of four Israeli captives on Thursday including the Bibas family: two young boys and their mother.

On Saturday, Hamas will also release six living Israeli captives, double the number initially agreed upon in the swap. Khalil Al-Hayya said Israel, in return, will release Palestinian prisoners on the same day.

Hamas stated that this increase in captive releases was made in response to requests from mediators to demonstrate the movement’s commitment to the negotiations.

These captives are the last living prisoners set to be freed during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

The dead captives scheduled to be handed over tomorrow were killed in an Israeli airstrike during the Israeli prolonged war in Gaza, according to Hamas. Yarden Bibas, the Bibas’s family man was also captured by Hamas but was released earlier in February.

Among the captives scheduled for release on Saturday are Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, according to Hayya. They were captured in 2014 and 2015 after crossing into Gaza.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum indicated that other living captives expected to be released include Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomes with profound joy the return of Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu this Saturday.

While we feel profound relief at their homecoming, we are devastated by the news that the… pic.twitter.com/nYuIJGI2fZ

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) February 18, 2025

As the first phase of the ceasefire approaches its final week, Hamas has committed to releasing all remaining bodies of the agreed-upon deceased captives it holds.

The movement has also expressed readiness to release all captives designated for phase two of the ceasefire deal with Israel in a single operation.

Phase two entails a permanent end to the war, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of all captives held by Hamas, whether alive or deceased.

Talks intended to initiate this phase were scheduled to begin earlier this month but have not yet commenced.

Egypt will host an emergency Arab summit on the latest Palestinian developments on March 4, 2025 in Cairo#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/zXpmzWA8p4

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) February 18, 2025

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that the movement is politically and operationally prepared to implement the second and third phases of the ceasefire.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly informed cabinet ministers that Israel's conditions for the upcoming negotiations include the disarmament of Hamas and a prohibition on the Palestinian Authority's involvement in post-war governance.

Hamas has firmly rejected any conditions for disarmament or exit from the enclave, emphasizing that future arrangements for Gaza must be made with national consensus.

Since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in Gaza on 19 January, Hamas has released 24 captives it captured from Israel on 7 October 2023, with more than 70 captives still held there, including dead ones.

In return, Israel has released a total of 1,135 Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences.

The agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, has halted over 15 months of Israeli war that devastated the enclave and killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.