An Israeli official informed The Times of Israel that Hamas is expected to return the bodies of the four remaining hostages from the first phase of the hostage exchange on Thursday, as planned. The official also noted that discussions are underway to expedite their release.
Following this final return of bodies outlined in the initial stage of the agreement, Hamas will face three possible courses of action.
The first option is to accept Israel’s conditions, which require the terror group to surrender its weapons, send its leaders into exile, and relinquish any governing authority in Gaza. If Hamas agrees to these terms, Israel will proceed to the next phase of the deal, ensuring the release of all remaining captives and an end to the conflict.
Alternatively, Hamas can opt to prolong the truce by continuing to release hostages.
The third possibility, according to the official, is that Hamas rejects both options and allows the ceasefire to lapse, triggering a resumption of full-scale warfare. “It would be different,” the official stated. “A new defense minister, a new chief of staff, all the weapons we need, and full legitimacy, one hundred percent, from the Trump administration.”
“The gates of hell will be opened, as they say.”
Once the bodies are handed over on Thursday, Israel will allow Hamas a window of time to determine its next move. However, if no additional hostages are freed by Saturday, March 8, Israel will interpret that as the end of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected to visit Israel in the near future, though his trip, initially set for tomorrow, has been delayed. “He is waiting for things to be a bit more ripe,” the official explained.
Additionally, Israel has formed teams to work through the logistics of implementing US President Donald Trump’s proposal, which would facilitate voluntary migration from Gaza and identify nations willing to accept Gazans.
{Matzav.com Israel}