Hamas' armed wing, on Wednesday (Feb 26), said that it would hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages "tonight" as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

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"Within the framework of the deal, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades has decided to hand over the bodies of four hostages tonight," the group said.

A senior Hamas official said that the Palestinian militant group will not hold a public ceremony for the handover of the bodies of four Israeli hostages.

"The handover will take place without public presence to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay or obstruction," the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to discuss the matter.

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Hamas said that it would exchange the bodies of Israeli hostages for the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners, marking the completion of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The United States stated that discussions are progressing as planned for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which has mostly held but whose complexity and prolonged implementation have underscored its fragility.

The ceasefire has successfully brought a halt to the Israel-Hamas war triggered by the October 7, 2023, attack. As part of the agreement, 25 hostages have been released alive in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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"Mediators have informed Hamas that the (hostage-prisoner) exchange will take place on Thursday... Hamas and other resistance factions will hand over four bodies of Israeli captives, and in return, Israel will release more than 600 Palestinian detainees," a Hamas official told news agency AFP.

Another senior Hamas official said the "exchange will happen simultaneously".

US President Donald Trump's top envoy said in Washington that Israeli representatives are headed to discussions on the next phase of the ceasefire deal.

Also read: Mossad chief calls pager operation ‘turning point’ in fight against Hezbollah

"We're making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak," Steve Witkoff told an event for the American Jewish Committee.

"It's either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris," he said.

Israel says deal reached to receive bodies of 4 Gaza hostages

Israel said that it has reached an agreement with mediators for the return of the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Meanwhile, freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two sons were killed in captivity in Gaza, apologised on Wednesday (Feb 26), for not being able to protect his family during the Oct 7, 2023 attack by the Hamas militant group.

"Shiri, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all," he said in his eulogy at the funeral of his wife, Shiri, and two sons -- Kfir and Ariel -- at a cemetery near kibbutz Nir Oz, from where the four were seized by Palestinian militants during the attack.

(With inputs from agencies)