Sawt Falasteen - Israel sends negotiators after Hamas hands over hostage bodies

The overnight swap was the final stage of an initial deal under the fragile truce that took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of war in Gaza.

Under the first phase which expires Saturday, Hamas freed 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages seized in its October 7, 2023 attack and returned the bodies of eight others. It also released five Thai prisoners outside the deal's terms.

Israel, in return, was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas officials told AFP that Israel had freed about 1,700 so far.

Israel's Prison Service confirmed that "643 terrorists were transferred from several prisons across the country" and released under the terms of the truce deal after Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages.

AFP journalists saw hundreds of prisoners being released early Thursday in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News said 97, marked for deportation by Israel, had arrived at Gaza's Rafah crossing.

After the swap Hamas called on Israel to return to delayed talks on a second phase of the deal, intended to lead to a permanent end to the war.

"We have cut off the path before the enemy's false justifications, and it has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase," Hamas said.

Later on Thursday, Netanyahu's office said he instructed Israeli negotiators to head to Cairo for the Gaza talks.

The prisoners freed Thursday were meant to be released last weekend but Israel delayed the process after Hamas staged elaborate handover ceremonies.

Hamas said Thursday's handover would take place in private "to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay".

In Ramallah, several freed Palestinians were lifted onto shoulders. A group of women wept around one released prisoner, and a child held aloft flashed victory signs with both hands.

"We were in hell and we came out of hell. Today is my real day of birth," said one prisoner, Yahya Shraideh.

- 'Very tough day' -

Hours after the handover, an Israeli campaign group confirmed "with profound sorrow" the identities of the four bodies Hamas returned on Thursday.

Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mansour "have been laid to eternal rest in Israel", said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Netanyahu's office said based on "all of the information at our disposal", Yahalomi, Idan and Elgarat "were murdered while held hostage in Gaza".

Mansour, it added, was "murdered in the 7 October 2023 massacre" which triggered the war.

Israel Berman, a businessman and former member of the Nahal Oz kibbutz community where Idan was abducted, said that "until the very last moment, we were hoping that Tsachi would return to us alive".

"This morning brought us the harsh news," he added. "It's a very tough day."

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's attack, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Ziva Hershkowitz, an administrator at a local university, said that "as Israelis, we're still waiting for, you know, a light in the dark".

Calling for the ceasefire deal to be extended, she added: "People have to come back, really."

- 'Our hearts ache' -

In Washington, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy said Israeli representatives were en route to talks on the next phase of the ceasefire.

"We're making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak," Steve Witkoff said.

The prospects for the second phase are far from certain, however.

The current truce agreement was only arrived at after months of gruelling negotiations, and some members of Netanyahu's coalition are eager to resume the war and destroy Hamas once and for all.

Netanyahu pledged on Thursday to work "relentlessly" to bring back all the hostages.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after the attack, the deadliest in the country's history, and it has made bringing home all the hostages taken that day a central war aim.

President Isaac Herzog said Thursday that Israel had a "moral obligation" to secure the hostages' return.

"Our hearts ache upon receiving the bitter news of the identification of" the four bodies, he said.

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,365 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures that the United Nations considers credible.

Y.Zaher--SF-PST