Hamas to release six hostages on Saturday, four bodies on Thursday

GAZA: Hamas has announced the Palestinian group will release remaining six living Israeli hostages on Saturday, instead of three, who were set to be freed in the first phase.

Four bodies of hostages will be returned to Israel on Thursday.

A spokesperson of Hamas proposes exchanging all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners in “one go”, with the aim of reaching a permanent truce and a full Israeli pullout.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said the negotiations for the second stage of the deal will happen this week.

The group had also “decided to hand over four bodies on Thursday… and the enemy will release the corresponding prisoners”, a spokesman said.

Israel subsequently confirmed the arrangements, with Prime Minister’s office saying that during indirect negotiations in Cairo, “agreements were reached” for the six living hostages to be released on Saturday.

It added that the bodies of four hostages would be returned on Thursday, ahead of four others next week.

These would be the first bodies returned by Hamas to Israel since the start of the war.