Israel has reportedly informed mediators that it is prepared to move forward with the release of 602 Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be freed two days earlier, on the condition that Hamas immediately returns the bodies of four hostages it was expected to hand over later in the week. The report, published by Ynet, cites an Israeli official familiar with the negotiations.
Israel has insisted that Hamas return the bodies without staging any public displays, similar to the elaborate processions held last week when the remains of Shiri Bibas, her two young children Ariel and Kfir, and hostage Oded Lifshitz were transferred. Israeli authorities determined that all of them were murdered while in captivity.
The current ceasefire agreement, which remains precarious, is structured around the staggered release of hostages—both living and deceased—by Hamas, in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of security prisoners, including individuals convicted of deadly terrorist attacks.
The arrangement has faced setbacks as it nears the conclusion of its first phase. Early Sunday, Israel announced that it would not proceed with the planned release of the 602 prisoners unless Hamas provided guarantees for further hostage releases and agreed to stop turning the process into a propaganda tool, as has been the case so far.
These prisoners were initially meant to be freed as part of an exchange that saw Hamas release six hostages on Saturday. However, public outrage over the manner in which Hamas returned the remains of the Bibas family, combined with anger over a video showing captives being forced to witness a staged ceremony before others were released, prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a tougher stance. He declared that Hamas must end such theatrical displays before Israel would continue with prisoner releases.
A Hamas representative told Ynet that the group would not return the four bodies it is still holding unless Israel first fulfills its commitment to release the 602 prisoners.
On Sunday, Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Mardawi stated that the group was suspending all further negotiations through mediators until Israel agreed to release the detainees.
Despite some reports on Monday suggesting that progress had been made, Mardawi dismissed these claims, insisting that Hamas’s position had not changed. Meanwhile, multiple Israeli news outlets, citing anonymous government sources, also denied that any significant breakthrough had occurred regarding the imminent return of the hostages’ bodies.
The ceasefire agreement, which was reached last month, brought a temporary halt to the war that erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, during which its terrorists slaughtered around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Under the deal, Hamas is supposed to release all its hostages in stages, while Israel gradually frees thousands of Palestinian security prisoners. The agreement also includes provisions for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza as negotiations continue toward establishing a long-term truce, alongside a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. With the first phase set to conclude this coming Saturday, discussions are underway for the next stage.
The Israeli official quoted by Ynet emphasized that, regardless of how negotiations proceed, Israel remains committed to achieving its overarching war objectives—officially defined as the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and governing structures.
The source outlined three possible scenarios moving forward.
The first option involves entering negotiations for the second phase, during which Israel would push for the unconditional release of all remaining hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, the full demilitarization of Gaza, and the expulsion of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders. If these demands were met, the war would come to an end.
If Hamas refuses to comply, the source said, Israel would pursue these objectives through military action instead.
A third possibility is to extend the current arrangement outlined in the first phase of the ceasefire. This would mean that as long as hostages are being released in groups—including living captives—the ceasefire would remain in place. In such a case, Israel’s priority would be to secure the release of four fathers who remain in captivity, along with hostages believed to be injured or in poor health, based on intelligence gathered from those recently freed. In exchange, Israel would negotiate the release of additional Palestinian prisoners and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who has played a key role in mediation efforts both before and after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration took office in January, is expected to arrive in the region on Wednesday.
Witkoff, who serves as Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, appeared at a press conference alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House on February 4, 2025.
On Sunday, Witkoff said his primary objective was to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
“We have to get an extension of phase one, and so I’ll be going into the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that,” he told CNN. Later, speaking to CBS, he confirmed that his trip would include visits to Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
This marked the first time the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged its intention to prolong phase one of the deal. Speculation has been growing that this approach aligns with Israel’s preferences, as Netanyahu’s government has been hesitant to engage in discussions over phase two, which would require a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza—a step that his right-wing coalition strongly opposes.
{Matzav.com Israel}