Gaza Resistance to release bodies of captives killed by IOF strikes
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The office of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says "Israel" had received the list of killed captives who would be handed over on Thursday as part of the agreement.
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Israeli captive Alexander Troufanov, 29, third from left, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship, is escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as he stands on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 (AP)
The spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, Abu Obeida, announced details regarding the handover of Israeli captives scheduled for Thursday as part of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal.
Abu Obeida stated Wednesday that the bodies of the Bibas family and the remains of captive Oded Lifshitz would be handed over, emphasizing that they were all alive before Israeli military aircraft deliberately bombed their locations in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the military spokesperson for the al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, Abu Hamza, announced the decision to release the remains of Lifshitz, also asserting that Israeli forces intentionally killed him during the war on Gaza.
Earlier on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the al-Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the al-Mujahideen Movement, Abu Bilal, stated that the brigades would hand over the bodies of the Bibas family, who were captured on October 7, 2023.
Abu Bilal stressed that the Bibas family was taken captive by a group of al-Mujahideen fighters and was treated well, in accordance with Islamic teachings, before being killed when Israeli occupation forces targeted them with missile strikes, also leading to the death of their captors.
On its part, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that "Israel" had received the list of killed captives who would be handed over on Thursday as part of the agreement.
This comes as part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the prisoner exchange deal under the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel" with exchanges having taken place in recent weeks.
The Resistance has released several Israeli captives from various locations across the Gaza Strip in exchange for the Israeli occupation freeing a significant number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including those serving life sentences and long-term sentences.
602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be freed Saturday
On Tuesday, the head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced that the Palestinian Resistance will hand over the bodies of four Israeli captives on Thursday.
In return, the Israeli occupation is set to release several Palestinian detainees and prisoners on Saturday, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
In a speech, al-Hayya stated that the handover of the remaining Israeli captives’ bodies, as agreed upon in the first phase of the deal, will be completed in the sixth week since the agreement came into effect on January 19, 2025.
He also announced that the Resistance will release the remaining six living Israeli captives included in the first phase of the deal next Saturday. Among them are Hisham al-Sayyed and Avera Mengistu, who have been in captivity since 2014. The Israeli occupation, in turn, will also release a number of Palestinian detainees under the agreement.
Palestinian media reported that 602 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be freed on Saturday as part of the prisoner exchange deal. Among them are 157 prisoners serving life sentences and 445 detainees from Gaza.
Al-Hayya emphasized that these steps reflect Hamas’ commitment to implementing the agreement as stipulated and in response to the mediators' efforts. He reaffirmed that the Palestinian group continues to engage with mediators, particularly Qatar and Egypt, to compel the occupation to adhere to the terms of the first phase.
Regarding the second phase of the agreement, al-Hayya pointed out that the Israeli occupation has been stalling its engagement in negotiations, despite their scheduled launch on the 16th day after the agreement was signed.
He called for the enforcement of all agreement terms without delay, expressing Hamas' readiness for the immediate implementation of the second phase, which includes a full ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the occupation’s security and political cabinet is set to convene to discuss the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal.
Read more: 'Israel' demands no weapons in Gaza, Hamas exclusion from governance
