Prisoner exchange concludes first phase amid uncertainty over future

Following the resolution of the crisis between Hamas and Israel, 641 Palestinian prisoners were released. Simultaneously, Hamas handed over the bodies of the last four of the 33 hostages to the Red Cross teams, as stipulated in the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

According to Yediot Ahronot newspaper, citing Israeli security sources, the bodies of the four Israeli hostages were delivered to Red Cross teams who crossed into the Gaza Strip without ceremony. A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office indicated that preliminary identification work had begun to confirm the identities of the received bodies.

Hamas announced that the bodies delivered belonged to Tsahi Idan, Ohad Yahalomi, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur.

Concurrent with the handover of the four bodies of Israeli hostages, 641 Palestinian prisoners, whose release Israel had suspended on February 22nd, were also freed in exchange.

Palestinian prisoners released from Ofer Military Prison in the occupied West Bank and Ketziot Prison in southern Israel were handed over to Red Cross teams.

The Israeli army raided the town of Bitunya in the occupied West Bank before the convoy’s passage.

The Red Cross convoy, which left Ofer Military Prison and arrived in Ramallah, a city in the occupied West Bank, was greeted enthusiastically by a large crowd in front of the museum in Ramallah named after the world-renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

Emotional scenes unfolded as the Palestinian prisoners disembarked from the bus and embraced their relatives.

Some of the prisoners, who appeared exhausted, were taken to the hospital.

In a press statement during the welcoming of the prisoners, Ramallah and El-Bireh Governor Leila Ghanem said that the Israeli army released the Palestinian prisoners “dressed in clothes with racist and provocative statements, but they were given alternative clothes.” Ghanem reported that the prisoners told them they had contracted skin diseases, and some wanted to undergo health checks.

With the delayed completion of the seventh round of the prisoner exchange, all 33 Israeli hostages to be released in the first phase of the agreement were handed over, bringing the number of released Palestinians to 1776.

Uncertainty surrounds second phase

A statement from Hamas indicated that adhering to the ceasefire agreement was the only way to secure the release of the remaining hostages. The statement affirmed Hamas’ commitment to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and its readiness to commence talks for the second phase. The statement declared, “[Israel] has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase.”

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not only delaying the second phase negotiations, which were supposed to begin in early February, but also declaring that he will not fulfill his obligations in the second phase. His far-right partners are threatening to topple the government if the second phase proceeds. Despite stating that the ceasefire must be fully implemented, the Trump administration has so far supported Israel’s decisions that violate the ceasefire, citing Hamas as justification.

It is known that Israel will resist moving to the second phase and will propose extending the first phase to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. In this way, the Israeli government aims to rescue all Israeli hostages before completely withdrawing from Gaza. Therefore, uncertainty remains regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire.