Bodies of 4 Hostages Returned in More Tempered Exchange

The first phase of Israel's ceasefire deal appears to be complete. The bodies of four hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Israel early Thursday in exchange for the release of hundreds of prisoners. The BBC reports previous handovers "have involved a staged ceremony orchestrated by Hamas," but that did not occur this time. The AP notes Israel had delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest the ceremonies, which it said were humiliating for the hostages. It agreed to release the prisoners only if the staged events were done away with.

Israel is conducting DNA tests to verify that the remains belong to the men Hamas was due to hand over. The Guardian reports Hamas identified them as Shlomo Mantzur, Tsachi Idan, Ohad Yahalomi, and Itzhak Elgarat. The New York Times reports the initial release of Palestinian prisoners early Thursday is expected to be followed by a final release once the IDs are confirmed. The initial phase of the ceasefire deal, which is scheduled to end Saturday, was to see 33 Israeli hostages swapped for roughly 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Thursday's handover brings the tally to 33, with 25 living hostages and eight dead hostages having been turned over.

The Guardian reports the next phase should see all remaining hostages released and the Israeli military entirely removed from Gaza. But the Times reports that it's "unclear whether serious negotiations" of the details have begun and that "there has been little sign of progress despite pressure from US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators."