Release for 600 Palestinian prisoners secured as Hamas, Israel reach resolution to exchange impasse that will see 4 Israeli bodies delivered under Egypt’s supervision

Over 600 Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons on Thursday, while Hamas will deliver the bodies of four prisoners it holds in the strip, two Hamas officials told Mada Masr on Wednesday.

The Thursday exchange was established by mediators as a resolution to avert a crisis in the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that emerged last week and threatened to derail the ceasefire agreement, the officials said.

Israel refused on Saturday to deliver 620 Palestinian prisoners as agreed, returning them instead to prison facilities and citing its refusal to continue as per the exchange deal terms given the “humiliating” ceremonies held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas to mark the release of Israeli prisoners.

Following meetings hosted in Cairo to address the impasse, the parties have agreed to a resolution which is to see Hamas hand over the bodies of four deceased Israeli captives on Thursday under Egyptian supervision, in exchange for the simultaneous release of the seventh group of Palestinian prisoners, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Mada Masr. 

Hamas released a statement on its channels later on Wednesday, confirming that the Qassam Brigades would deliver the bodies of Shlomo Mantzur, Tsahi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Ohad Yahalomi on Thursday.

As part of the deal, Israel will also release a new group of Palestinian women and children, Qassem added, without specifying how many the group would include.

A second Hamas source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, echoed Qassem regarding the planned exchange, adding that the additional list for Thursday would comprise all the women and children who were due to be released under the initial deal.

The resolution was reached after mediators were contacted and pressured Israel to follow through on the releases, the source said. 

An Egyptian official speaking to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity said that there was a proposal to resolve the impasse via releasing the remains of the Israeli prisoners and transferring them to Egypt, with Egypt to conduct DNA testing to verify their identities.

The second Hamas source likewise said that the mediators proposed conducting the exchange within Egyptian territory — an arrangement that the source said is set to take place unless last-minute changes arise.

Qassem, however, said that it remains uncertain whether the exchange is to take place on Egyptian territory. Hamas is aligned with whatever the Egyptian leadership deems suitable, he said.

He noted that Egypt is to supervise the handover both on the ground and logistically, however, stressing the highly sensitive security nature of the process. 

Qassaem said that Hamas leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya took part in the Cairo talks, ultimately establishing the agreement with Egyptian officials to resolve the delay in the release of the 620 Palestinian prisoners, who were the seventh group due for release under the deal which was concluded in January. 

Qassem noted that discussions with the Egyptian leadership during the week had also addressed the need to hold Israel to the remaining terms of the agreement, including humanitarian and relief protocols. 

The talks covered Israeli violations of phase one of the ceasefire deal, he noted, and the launch of the second phase of negotiations.

Israel has opened fire on Palestinians in Gaza repeatedly since the ceasefire came into effect, and has limited the entry of the agreed upon quantities of aid. 

It has also delayed the beginning of negotiations on phase two of the deal, which were intended to establish consensus on terms that would support a lasting ceasefire and were due to begin in Doha over three weeks ago. 

The second Hamas source told Mada Masr that Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire agreement as long as Israel also upholds it, noting that Israel had violated its terms in failing to release the Palestinian prisoners last week. 

On negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal, the source said that Israel is stalling, seeking to extend the first phase without seriously engaging in talks for the next stage until now.

The source said that Israel's objective in prolonging the first phase is to secure the release of as many Israeli captives as possible without committing to the obligations of the second phase.

They added that Israel has informed mediators that it is unwilling to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, in the coming period — one of the key provisions of the ceasefire’s second phase.

Israel invaded the corridor, the area that lies between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, amid its invasion of the strip, and has occupied the zone and the crossing between Egypt and Palestine at Rafah since May, 2024.