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Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for the transfer of four Israeli hostages' bodies in exchange for the release of 602 Palestinian security prisoners, according to statements from both Hamas and an Israeli official, as reported by The Times of Israel.
According to Times of Israel's report, the agreement is expected to end the deadlock that threatened to derail the multi-phase ceasefire deal before its first stage could be fully implemented. "An agreement was reached to resolve the issue of the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be freed in the last batch," Hamas said in a statement cited by The Times of Israel. Hamas added, "They will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners agreed upon for transfer during the first phase, in addition to an equivalent number of Palestinian women and children." An Israeli official confirmed the deal, stating that the exchange would take place through Egypt on Wednesday. However, some reports suggest it may be delayed until Thursday, according to The Times of Israel. Israel had been due to release the Palestinian prisoners on Saturday but had refused to proceed, citing Hamas violations of the agreement. This included concerns over the return of the remains of three members of the Bibas family and Hamas' propaganda-driven ceremonies during previous hostage releases. A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Hamas now faces a critical decision: either continue releasing hostages and extend the ceasefire or risk its collapse, which would lead to the resumption of full-scale hostilities. "It would be different from the past fighting during the previous Biden administration in Washington," the official said, adding, "A new defence minister, a new chief of staff, all the weapons we need, and full legitimacy, one hundred per cent, from the Trump administration." The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is set to conclude on Saturday. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported that the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to visit Israel in the coming days. Witkoff stated that the upcoming negotiations aim to advance the next phase of the agreement and facilitate further hostage releases. Speaking about this, Witkoff said the focus of the new talks will be to "put phase two on track and have some additional hostage release -- and we think that's a real possibility", Times of Israel reported and also mentioned that Witkoff may participate in the negotiations slated for Sunday "if it goes well." (ANI)
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