Eight of the 26 hostages expected to be released by Hamas in the coming weeks as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza are dead, according to Israeli officials.
This information, which Hamas provided to Israel on Sunday, is also confirmed by a prior investigation by Israeli intelligence. The list provided by Hamas does not specify which hostages have died. Eight families have been informed that their relatives are unlikely to return alive, authorities said.
Under the ceasefire agreement, 33 hostages (all presumed to be alive) were set to be released in the first phase in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Seven have already returned home after more than 15 months in captivity in Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the first official foreign guest of Donald Trump, with the Israeli Prime Minister sought by the International Court for war crimes.
Three women were released on January 19, the day the temporary ceasefire took effect, and four women, members of the IDF, were released on January 25.
Meanwhile, 376,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since Monday, according to the UN. An on-the-ground report by Al Jazeera,describes the area as ‘unrecognizable’ due to the massive accumulation of debris after 15 months of Israeli bombardments.
Returning Palestinians ‘say the situation is extremely difficult, with no water, no infrastructure, and widespread destruction,’ a Palestinian told Al Jazeera. ‘But what does it matter? We’re going from a bad situation to an even worse one,’ he adds.
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