Hamas to release bodies of four more Israeli hostages on Wednesday evening

Hamas has announced that they will release the bodies of four Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire deal brokered with Israel. These individuals are Tsachi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur, Itzhak Elgarat, and Ohad Yahalomi. The release of these bodies will mark the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, with negotiations for the second phase yet to begin. The handover of the hostages was delayed due to forensic testing revealing a mix-up in one of the caskets provided by Hamas. The hostage taking incident occurred during a terrorist attack in 2023, which led to a year-and-a-half war between Israel and Hamas. The families of the deceased hostages have been awaiting the return of their loved ones, including the oldest hostage, Shlomo Mantzur. The hostages were taken from their homes on Kibbutzim, and some were brutally killed during the kidnapping. The handover of the bodies is expected to happen at night to avoid the propaganda-like ceremonies that took place during previous handovers. These releases are a significant step towards resolving the conflict and honoring the memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic events.

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