Hamas expected to release names of deceased hostages Thursday morning, with remains being returned same day
Israel is preparing to receive the bodies of four or five deceased hostages from Gaza on Thursday following an intervention by mediators, according to the country's public broadcaster.
KAN reported on Monday that Israeli forces have begun preparations to receive the remains of the hostages, whose names have yet to be disclosed.
Palestinian resistance group Hamas is expected to announce the names of the deceased prisoners Thursday morning, with their bodies scheduled to be returned later the same day.
Israeli military ambulances will wait at a designated meeting point to retrieve the bodies, which will then be transported to the country's forensic institute for identification, the report said.
Officials involved in the expected transfer said that once the identification process is complete, authorities will provide a final update to the captives' families.
Separately, the seventh batch of prisoner exchanges between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups is expected Saturday, with three hostages set to be released in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday that Tel Aviv is demanding the release of six living hostages instead of three as originally agreed. In return, it has expressed willingness to send additional mobile homes to Gaza.
At the same time, Israel continues to withhold commitments under the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement, which includes provisions for bringing heavy machinery to remove rubble and mobile homes to shelter displaced people.
Israel Hayom daily cited sources familiar with the negotiations who estimate that more than three living Israeli captives could be released on Saturday.
As of 1750 GMT, Hamas and mediators from Egypt and Qatar had not commented on the Israeli report.
So far under phase one, 19 Israeli captives and five Thai workers have been released in exchange for 1,135 Palestinian prisoners.
Another 14 Israelis are expected to be released in the next two weeks as part of the deal's first phase, which includes 33 Israeli hostages.
A ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, pausing Israel's genocidal war that has killed nearly 48,300 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.
Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
