Earlier on Monday, the Qassam Brigades announced that it would hand over the body of an Israeli prisoner this evening, as part of the first phase of the agreement that went into effect on October 10.
Meanwhile, Israel announced Monday evening that it had received the body of a new prisoner from the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of bodies received by Tel Aviv to 14.
This came in a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, published on his official account on the X platform.
The statement said: "Israel received, via the Red Cross, a coffin containing the remains of a deceased abductee, and it was handed over to an Israeli army and Shin Bet force inside the Gaza Strip."
He continued, "From there, the coffin will be transported to Israel, after which the body will be transferred to the Ministry of Health's National Center for Forensic Medicine. Once the identification process is complete, the family will be officially notified."
"The public is asked to respect the privacy of families and refrain from spreading rumors and unofficial and unreliable information," he said.
Thus, since the agreement began, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli prisoners and the remains of 14 out of a total of 28, most of whom are Israeli.
While Israel says the remaining number is 15, claiming that one of the bodies received does not match any of its prisoners.
The movement says it seeks to "close the file" and needs time, advanced equipment, and heavy machinery to retrieve the remaining bodies.
Hamas and Israel reached an agreement to halt the war of extermination in Gaza and release living and dead Israeli prisoners, in addition to 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, based on a plan drawn up by US President Donald Trump.
This war, launched by Israel with US support on October 8, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 68,216 Palestinians, the injury of 170,361 others, most of them children and women, and the destruction of 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
