Hamas is scheduled to release the bodies of four hostages from Gaza on Thursday, with another three living hostages expected to be freed on Saturday, Israeli security officials said.
The name of the dead hostages will be given to the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday morning before the exchange, with the military alerting the families shortly afterward.
Israel is also reportedly pushing for all six of the remaining living hostages included in the first phase of the deal to be freed on Saturday, as opposed to just three.
Should the Jewish state prove successful, only four hostages, all presumed dead, would remain in Gaza as part of the original 33 outlined in the agreement.
So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been returned, as well as five Thai nationals. Officials have said that eight of the 33 hostages due for release by March 2 are dead, but it remains unclear who.
Fears have increasingly grown that Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2, are among the dead.
Bibas and her boys, who became symbols of the horrors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, were not among the first groups released in the cease-fire, which included all women, regardless of military service.
In recent weeks, Hamas has only released men, including Bibas’ husband, Yarden, who told Israeli outlets he was constantly tortured by Hamas over the uncertain fate of his family.
Yarden was previously forced to take part in a Hamas propaganda video where he claimed his family was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said Knesset was working on the second phase of the cease-fire deal with Hamas, which would address the remaining hostages.
Should all 14 hostages be freed by the March 2 cease-fire deadline, Hamas would have about 59 hostages left in Gaza, around 36 of whom are presumed dead, according to Israeli officials.
Among the living hostages expected to be freed in phase two is Israeli-American Edan Alexander, 20, of Tenafly, New Jersey.
“We all want to proceed to phase two and release the hostages, the question is under what conditions is the war ended,” Elkin told Israeli public broadcaster KAN.
With Post wires
