Tents for displaced Palestinians are lined up in front of a war-damaged building, west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo / AFP
Hamasโ armed wing said Wednesday that it would hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages โtonightโ as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
โWithin the framework of the deal, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades has decided to hand over the bodies of four hostages tonight,โ the group said, providing the names of the captives, which Israeli authorities have yet to confirm.
A Hamas official had said earlier that 602 prisoners who had been due for release in a swap over the weekend would instead be freed in return for the bodies.
Israel had halted the prisoners’ release to protest what it called the โhumiliatingโ public ceremonies that have accompanied previous transfers of hostages and remains.
The official said the coming handover would be done in private.