Early Thursday morning, the remains of four hostages—Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, and Shlomo Mantzur—were brought back to Israel as part of the final phase of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The transfer process started just after 11:00 p.m. when Red Cross vehicles left to collect the coffins containing the four hostages’ remains. By 12:30 a.m., the Red Cross had received the bodies from the Hamas terrorists. Just after 1:00 a.m., the Red Cross vehicles met up with IDF forces at the Kerem Shalom crossing.
At 1:30 a.m., the coffins entered Israeli territory. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that an initial identification of the four hostages was underway.
An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the transfer occurred quietly, with no ceremony or event, and no media presence at the scene.
Simultaneously, buses transporting terrorists due to be released as part of the deal left Ofer Prison. Thirty-seven of them were received in Ramallah, while five were released in eastern Jerusalem.
Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, arrived at the Kerem Shalom crossing to oversee the reception of the bodies.
Forensic staff from the Institute and the police team were prepared to assist with the initial identification process once the bodies reached the crossing.
Before this, the Chief Rabbi of the IDF was scheduled to conduct a memorial ceremony for the deceased hostages after they were transferred into military custody in Gaza.
Ahead of the release, Tsachi Idan’s family issued a statement, saying, “Our family received with great sorrow the announcement from Hamas that our beloved Tsachi is no longer among the living and that his body will be returned to Israel during the night. We are all still awaiting the longed-for certainty, which we can only obtain after his arrival in Israel and the completion of all necessary examinations by the authorized state authorities, while preserving the privacy of Tsachi and his family.”
“Since Tsachi was abducted while standing on his feet, we received several signs of life, and in the previous deal last November, Tsachi was alive and expected to be released. We are grateful for the immense love and support we have received from the citizens of Israel, the media, and the Nahal Oz community. In these difficult hours, we ask that our privacy be respected. We will provide updates later after receiving details from the authorized authorities of the State of Israel,” the family added.
This release marks the largest batch of terrorists released since the beginning of Phase A of the agreement. A total of 620 terrorists from Gaza are expected to be freed in this phase. Although initially scheduled for release last Saturday, their release was delayed following a political decision. Upon completion of this phase, the total number of terrorists released since the start of Phase A will reach approximately 1,700.
{Matzav.com Israel}