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According to the reports on Thursday (20 February), Israel has recovered the bodies of four hostages from Gaza with the assistance of the Red Cross. The remains of Shiri Bibas, her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz were transferred to Israeli authorities for identification. Hamas claims they died due to Israeli airstrikes along with their guards. The families of the deceased have been informed, and forensic examinations are underway.
Meanwhile, Israel is set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners this week, including 445 from Gaza who were arrested during the war. Among them, 50 were sentenced to life, while 60 received long-term sentences. A total of 108 prisoners will be deported to Egypt before being transferred elsewhere, including 13 with medical conditions. One of the released prisoners is Khalil Jabarin Abu-Hamid, who murdered Ari Fuld in 2018 and was serving a life sentence.
Hamas has indicated its willingness to release all remaining hostages in Gaza in a single exchange during the next phase of the ceasefire agreement. This would differ from the current phase, where hostages were freed in stages. Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu stated that this move demonstrates their commitment to resolving the hostage crisis and stabilizing the ceasefire. However, he did not specify how many hostages remain in captivity.
The ongoing truce between Israel and Hamas, in effect since January 19, has largely held despite accusations of violations by both sides. The first phase of the ceasefire has seen the release of 19 Israeli hostages in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Talks for the second phase are expected to begin soon, with the goal of securing the release of the remaining 58 hostages. Both parties continue negotiations to establish a more permanent resolution to the conflict.
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