Hamas Returns Bodies of Four Hostages

The remains of the hostages repatriated are Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir. Additionally, there is Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 years old when taken hostage by Hamas. "Our hearts and the entire nation of Israel are shattered in grief," said Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a written statement.

During the war in Gaza, the families of the hostages repeatedly held demonstrations demanding an end to the war for the safety of the hostages. Several hostages were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023.

Based on the ceasefire agreement effective since January 19, 2025, for 42 days, Hamas released 33 hostages in exchange for more than 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

The repatriation of the bodies of the four hostages was the seventh exchange, although no Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel. So far, 24 hostages and 1,135 prisoners have been freed.

Previously, Israeli citizens rejoiced at the release of the hostages. Now the atmosphere has turned somber because they remember that there may be other hostages who died as a result of 15 months of raids and bombings in Gaza.

The situation is feared to affect the continuation of the second phase of ceasefire negotiations. The first phase of the ceasefire will end in early March 2025. The extreme right group in the Israeli government is urging the war to continue.

Hamas is scheduled to release six hostages alive on Saturday (22/2/2025) in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. If all goes according to plan, after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will still be holding 60 hostages, all men. However, it is believed that half of that number are dead.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Netanyahu, with the full support of US President Donald Trump, is determined to destroy Hamas' fighting and governing capabilities and the safe release of all hostages.

Hamas could not proceed with the hostage release if it believed the war would soon resume with Israel's goal of eliminating them and forcibly displacing Gazans from their homeland.

Meanwhile, Arab leaders will meet in Saudi Arabia on Friday (21/2/2025) to counter US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Gazans. Trump's plan unites Arab countries, although there is still debate over who will lead the post-war reconstruction of Gaza and how to fund it.

Saudi policy expert Umer Karim called the Arab leaders' meeting the "most important" in decades for the Arab world and the Palestinian issue. A source close to the Saudi government told AFP news agency that Arab leaders would discuss a reconstruction plan to counter Trump's idea for Gaza.

After meeting Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Egypt would present the plan, a Saudi government source confirmed, saying Arab leaders would discuss “Egypt’s version of the plan.”

Originally planned as a gathering of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, the meeting was later expanded to include the six Gulf states, the Palestinian Authority and Iraq.

Cairo has yet to announce its initiative. But former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy hinted at a plan “in three technical phases over a period of three to five years.” The first phase would last six months and focus on early recovery.

“Heavy equipment will be brought in to clear the rubble, while a safe zone will be created in Gaza for the temporary relocation of its residents,” Hegazy said.

The second phase will require an international conference to provide details of the reconstruction and focus on rebuilding utility infrastructure. “The final phase will include the urban plan for Gaza, the construction of settlement units, and the provision of education and health services,” Hegazy said. (AP/AFP/Reuters)