Cnn
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Hamas said on Tuesday that it would release corpses from four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest prisoners by the group, KFIR and Ariel Bibas.
The group will also publish six living hostages on Saturday, instead of the three that had been expected, said Khalil Al-Hayya, head of the group’s negotiation team, in a statement.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed on Tuesday that an agreement had been concluded during the negotiations in Cairo for “four hostages killed” to be handed over on Thursday and “six living hostages” which will be released on Saturday.
He added that “four additional killed hostages should be given to Israel next week.”
Later Tuesday, the Smarting and Landing Families Forum appointed the six Israeli hostages that should be released on Saturday.
“The removal forum and missing families welcomes Joy the return of Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu this Saturday,” the forum said in a statement.
“Although we feel deep relief when we return, we are devastated by the news that the remains of four of our relatives will be returned this Thursday,” added the statement.
The civilians Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu have both been held in Gaza for about a decade, having been taken hostage after having independently crossed the border in the enclave in 2015 and 2014 respectively, according to the forum.
A forum spokesperson said that families in all hostages have come for liberation, death and life were informed.
Israel is expected to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israelis, as in recent weeks.
It is clear that the children of Bibas – who were only nine months old and four years, respectively, when they were kidnapped in October 2023 – are indeed dead.
Israel has not yet confirmed their death and has not yet commented on the announcement of Hamas.
An Egyptian source knowing the case confirmed to CNN that talks involving Egyptian, Qatari, Israelis and American officials had succeeded, and Hamas will publish the remaining hostages of the first phase of the truce on Saturday.
Hamas said in November 2023 that Kfir and Ariel Bibas had been killed with their mother in an Israeli air strike, and published a video by their father Yarden, who was also detained, in which he blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their death.
An Israeli military spokesperson at the time called “psychological terror” video, but the army told relatives that they are not alive, according to a spokesperson for the hostage forum and missing families.
Hamas released Yarden Bibas, Alive, on February 1.
The Bibas family, and KFIR in particular, have become one of the most recognizable victims of terrorist attacks on October 7.
The image of KFIR has been presented on many posters calling for the release of the hostages that have been exhibited through Israel and the world for 15 months. In this document, the little boy with red hair holds a pink elephant toy, looking directly in the camera with a bitter smile.
The announcement of Hamas occurred the day Israel said that it is starting with talks during the second phase of the Gaza Ostage-Seasefire Agreement.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said negotiations could start “this week” after discussions with “our American friends”.
He undertook to aim to reach an agreement by the 42nd day of the truce, as stipulated in the initial agreement, and declared that the possibility of a longer -term agreement was an “option”.
