A senior Hamas official has announced that the group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and return the remains of four others on Thursday. This unexpected acceleration in hostages’ releases appears to result from Israel permitting the entry of mobile homes and construction materials into the heavily damaged Gaza Strip. The six hostages are the last set to be freed during the initial phase of the ceasefire; discussions for a more complex second phase are yet to be initiated.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya mentioned that the Bibas family, particularly referring to Shiri Bibas and her two children, would be among those whose bodies are returned. The Israeli government has not confirmed the deaths and has urged restraint from circulating premature information. Surviving family members expressed their turmoil, stating their ordeal continues until they receive definite confirmation.
The hostages scheduled for release include Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu, some of whom were abducted during a music festival or had been held in Gaza prior to the recent conflict. To facilitate this process, Israel has begun allowing critical supplies into Gaza, responding to Hamas’s earlier threats to halt the releases over unmet demands.