Hamas says it will free 6 living Israeli hostages on Saturday and four bodies before then

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

****** says it will free 6 living Israeli hostages on Saturday and four bodies before then

CAIRO (AP) — A top ****** leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, including the remains of the Bibas family that has become symbols of Israeli suffering in the war.

The fate of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, reflected the feeling of helplessness as dozens of hostages remain in Gaza after ******’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel has said it is extremely concerned about their condition but has not confirmed their deaths.

****** leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks on Tuesday, did not elaborate beyond saying that the “Bibas family” would be included in the handover of four bodies.

Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox

See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.

The six to be released on Saturday are the last living hostages to be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. Three hostages had been expected to be freed on Saturday. It was not clear why ****** changed the plan.

The warring sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which ****** would release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

The hostage releases have come in exchange for hundreds of ************ prisoners held by Israel.

The ceasefire that began in mid-January has paused the deadliest fighting ever between Israel and ******, surged aid into devastated Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes as Israeli forces withdrew from much of the territory.

___

Follow AP’s war coverage at

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#****** #free #living #Israeli #hostages #Saturday #bodies

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up