Palestinian Resistance hands over bodies of four Israeli captives
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The Palestinian Resistance handed over four captives in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, with hundreds of fighters present, while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu withdrew from the ceremony to receive them.
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Hamas fighters deploy ahead of handing over the bodies of four Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, February 20, 2025. (AP)
On Thursday, Palestinian Resistance factions handed over the bodies of four captives in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, to the International Red Cross, marking the first part of today's exchange deal.
The Red Cross delegate signed for the bodies of the Israeli captives upon their arrival at the delivery platform in Bani Suheila.
Hundreds of Resistance fighters from the military wings of Palestinian factions took part in the ceremony to hand over the bodies of the four occupation captives east of Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew his participation in the ceremony to receive the bodies of the four Israeli captives."
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the commander of the Eastern Battalion of the al-Qassam Brigades in Khan Younis was also present at the Khan Younis ceremony.
المئات من المقاومين من الأذرع العسكرية للفصائل الفلسطينية يشاركون في مراسم تسليم جثامين أسرى الاحتلال الأربعة شرق خان يونس.
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) February 20, 2025
الصورة من هناك ينقلها مراسل #الميادين أكرم دلول #غزة_تهزم_الإبادة pic.twitter.com/vXvqybobzC
Our correspondent further added that "Resistance fighters involved in the October 7 battles are present at the handover," noting that "fighters from the al-Zana ambush of the al-Qassam Brigades, including one injured in a wheelchair, are participating in the process." He noted that "al-Qassam published the names of groups that fought in the Gaza envelope, including the Orim group, the 8200 site group, and the intervention site group."
He also reported that "a black car, belonging to the Shadow Unit and captured by the Resistance during the Battle of Al Aqsa Flood, was present at the ceremony to hand over the bodies."
Israeli media reported that "the commanders of the eastern and northern battalions in the Khan Younis Brigade, whom the army claimed to have killed, are participating in the process of handing over the bodies of the prisoners."
An Israeli media platform reported that "Hamas displayed, during the handover of the bodies of four Israeli captives, Israeli weapons that it had seized in the battles in Gaza." It added that Hamas "set up a platform and a large banner in Khan Younis accusing Netanyahu of killing the four Israeli prisoners they handed over today."
The banner read in response to the Israeli Prison Service's actions in the last exchange deal, "We will not forgive or forget; the flood was our day."
On Wednesday, al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Obeida stated 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.
Hamas: We saved the lives of the occupation captives, but their army killed them
At the same time, Hamas confirmed that the al-Qassam Brigades and the resistance "were careful, during the ceremony of handing over the bodies of the prisoners, to respect the sanctity of the dead and the feelings of their families, despite the occupation army not respecting their lives while they were alive."
Hamas added, "We preserved the lives of the Israeli captives, provided them with what we could, and treated them humanely, but their army killed them along with their captors."
The movement emphasized that "the Zionist enemy army killed its prisoners by bombing their detention centers, and the Nazi occupation government bears full responsibility for repeatedly obstructing the exchange agreement."
Hamas stated: "The criminal Netanyahu is crying today over the bodies of his prisoners who returned to him in coffins, in a blatant attempt to evade responsibility for their killing before his supporters."
The movement stressed that "the exchange is the only way to return the prisoners alive to their families, and any attempt to retrieve them by military force or return to war will only result in more losses among the prisoners."
The exchange process will be completed next Saturday.
This phase is expected to conclude with the release of six living Israeli captives next Saturday, while the Israeli occupation is set to free over 600 Palestinian prisoners in return. This includes 50 prisoners serving life and long sentences, 47 who were released in the "Shalit deal" and later re-arrested, and 445 male and female prisoners detained during the Gaza war.
Hamas to release Israeli captives
The head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced on Tuesday that the Palestinian Resistance will hand over the bodies of four Israeli captives today, including the remains of the Bibas family.
In return, the Israeli occupation is set to release several Palestinian detainees on Saturday, following 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.
It is worth noting that the first phase of the agreement, which ends on March 1, includes the release of 33 Israeli captives, comprising 25 living and eight deceased, according to Hamas officials. In return, the Israeli occupation will release over a thousand Palestinian prisoners, including several hundred serving life and prolonged sentences.
