Israel and Hamas are progressing with a prisoner swap agreement, with Hamas agreeing to release all remaining hostages during the second phase. The first phase involves the exchange of 19 Israeli hostages for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel and Hamas are in the process of implementing the first phase of a prisoner-swap agreement. The Israel i foreign minister stated that talks for the second phase, which involves the release of all remaining hostages, would commence this week. A senior Hamas official, Taher al-Nunu, revealed to AFP that Hamas is prepared to release all hostages simultaneously during the second phase, rather than in stages as per the current first phase.
This, he explained, aims to demonstrate their seriousness and commitment to resolving the issue, while also contributing to the consolidation of the ceasefire and the achievement of a lasting truce.So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been released by militants in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails through a series of Red Cross-mediated exchanges. This latest offer follows the announcement by Israel and Hamas of a deal for the return of all six remaining living hostages eligible for release under phase one in a single swap this weekend. Additionally, Hamas concurred on Tuesday to return the bodies of eight deceased hostages in two groups this week and next.The war-weary Gazans are grappling with the aftermath of '500 days of humiliation,' as Muhammad Shehada, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, observed. He believes Hamas is desperate to prevent the war from resuming at any cost, albeit with certain 'red lines.' One of these red lines, he asserted, is the continued existence of Hamas, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance is that Hamas should disband. Since the war's onset, Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas's capacity to fight or govern, a stance the militant group vehemently rejects.The recent visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week has strengthened Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's negotiating position, according to Michael Horowitz, an expert at the risk management consultancy Le Beck International. Horowitz stated that it provides Netanyahu 'more room to pressure Hamas,' adding that US President Donald Trump favors the agreement's progression but allows Netanyahu 'to lead the negotiations' as long as the ceasefire is maintained. Among the bodies Hamas has pledged to return on Thursday are those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who have become national symbols in Israel representing the ordeal of the hostages. The boys' father, Yarden Bibas, was taken hostage separately on October 7, 2023, and released alive during an earlier hostage-prisoner swap. While Hamas claimed Shiri Bibas and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war, Israel has never confirmed this, and many supporters remain unconvinced of their deaths, including members of the Bibas family.The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has acted as a mediator in the exchanges, has called for a respectful handover of the hostages' remains. 'We once again call for all releases to be conducted in a private and dignified manner, including when they tragically involve the deceased,' it stated. Hamas and its allies took 251 people hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, of whom 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military believes to be dead. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,297 people in Gaza, predominantly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory which the United Nations considers reliable
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