Hamas to return 6 prisoners, 4 bodies to Israel

TEL AVIV- Hamas is set to hand over the bodies of four hostages to Israel. A top Hamas official said the bodies of four Israeli hostages would be returned on Thursday. The group is expected to release six surviving Israeli hostages on Saturday. The release of the hostages comes in a dramatic move after Israel allowed the entry of rubble-clearing equipment into the Gaza Strip.
Among the dead to be handed over are members of the Bibas family, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement on Tuesday. Among those taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attack were Shiri, the woman from the family, and her two children, Kafir and Ariel. They were 9 months and 4 years old at the time.
Hamas said the three were killed in Israeli shelling. Israel has not confirmed this. The children’s father, Jordan, was released by Hamas earlier this month.
Hamas had previously said it would release only three living prisoners on Saturday. But that number has now doubled. The six living prisoners to be released are Elia Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omar Shem Tov, Omar Wenkert, Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Tuesday.
In exchange, Israel will release all women and men under the age of 19 it has held since October.