CAIRO (Diya TV) — Hamas is planning to free six live Israeli hostages on Saturday and transfer the bodies of four others on Thursday, in a gesture that falls in line with Israel’s approval of mobile homes and building machinery entering the Gaza Strip.
The six hostages to be released are the last to be released under the first phase of the ongoing ceasefire. Negotiations on a second phase, which is to deal with the release of more hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and possible Israeli withdrawal, are due to begin this week.
Khalil al-Hayya, one of the top Hamas leaders, said the bodies being returned include Shiri Bibas and her two small children, Ariel and Kfir. The group has become a symbol of the hostage crisis in many Israelis’ eyes. Hamas says they were killed in an early Israeli airstrike, but Israeli officials have not issued a formal confirmation.
An Israeli official, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the entry of mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza. This move is designed to speed up the release of hostages and the provision of humanitarian needs in the area.
The recent ceasefire, established in mid-January, has suspended the harsh fighting between Hamas and Israel, allowed for aid to be brought into Gaza, and permitted hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees to return home. But major issues remain, including the necessity for widespread rebuilding in Gaza and the complicated negotiations to reach a true peace.
As the first phase of the ceasefire nears its end in early March, everyone is apprehensive about the renewed outbreak of fighting. The upcoming talks will be decisive in determining the future stability of the area and the chances of a lasting solution to the war.
