Hamas: Ready to Release All Israeli Detainees in Exchange for All Palestinian Prisoners
As Hamas prepares to release four Israeli detainees' bodies, Netanyahu reshapes his negotiation team, raising doubts about Israel's commitment to a ceasefire deal.
Watan-The Palestinian resistance confirmed that it would release the bodies of four Israeli detainees on Thursday, stating that Israeli occupation forces deliberately killed them during airstrikes on Gaza.
This comes as the second round of negotiations is expected to begin, amid Israeli skepticism about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions. Netanyahu has changed the composition of his negotiating team, assigning its supervision to Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close ally with strong ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
The resistance movement agreed on Wednesday to an Israeli demand to release all Israeli detainees in the second phase at once, on the condition that all Palestinian prisoners be freed. However, Netanyahu added an additional condition—disarming the movement and removing it from governing Gaza, according to senior official Taher al-Nunu.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stated in a brief announcement on the movement’s social media accounts that, “As part of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the bodies of the Bibas family and Israeli captive Oded Lifshitz will be handed over tomorrow (Thursday). They were all alive before being deliberately targeted by Israeli warplanes in their places of captivity.”
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, previously announced that the group would hand over the remains of Israeli prisoner Oded Lifshitz on Thursday.
Hamas to Release Six Prisoners as Israel Prepares to Free Hundreds in Exchange Deal
Hamas is also set to release six living prisoners on Saturday, including Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, who were held in Gaza before the start of the Israeli genocide war on Gaza.
In exchange, Israel is expected to release 157 prisoners serving life sentences or long-term sentences, along with those rearrested after the 2011 Shalit deal. Additionally, 445 Palestinian detainees from Gaza—who were arrested during Israel’s war of extermination—along with child and female prisoners from Gaza, will be freed, according to Hamas’ Prisoner Affairs Office.
Meanwhile, controversy is growing within Israel following Netanyahu’s changes to the negotiating team.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu decided to begin the second round of negotiations next week after dismissing the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet from the negotiation team and appointing his close ally, Ron Dermer, as its head.
170,000 Israeli Soldiers Register for Psychological Treatment
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Wednesday that 170,000 Israeli soldiers recently returning from combat have enrolled in a mental health program launched by the Ministry of Defense a month and a half ago.
The newspaper reported that “many reservists who completed long months of service are seeking psychological treatment but are facing a severe shortage of therapists.”
It added, “Since the launch of the program by the Ministry of Defense, 170,000 soldiers—including about 4,000 reservists—have registered for psychological treatment.”
