The bodies of four hostages who had yet to be returned to Israel as part of the final phase of the first stage of the deal—Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, and Shlomo Mantzur—were transferred to Israel early Thursday morning. The transfer process began shortly after 11:00 p.m., with Red Cross vehicles setting out to receive the coffins with the bodies of the four hostages. Around 12:30 a.m., the Red Cross received the bodies of the four hostages from Hamas. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., the Red Cross vehicles met IDF troops at the Kerem Shalom crossing. At 1:30 a.m., the coffins arrived in Israeli territory. The Prime Minister's Office said that an initial identification process of the four hostages has begun. Shortly before 6:00 a.m., the coffins arrived at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where the identification process will continue. Between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., the bodies of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur were identified. The Yahalomi family responded: "With deep sorrow, we announce the death of our beloved Ohad Yahalomi, of blessed memory. Ohad was kidnapped to Gaza from his home in Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and was murdered in captivity. We are pained and still finding it hard to believe." Related articles: Terrorist who kidnapped Bibas family eliminated in Gaza Orange butterfly named in honor of Ariel Bibas 'I'd like to get as many hostages as we can' Sasha Troufanov prays at Lubavitcher Rebbe’s resting place An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the bodies of the hostages were transferred without any ceremony or event, and without the presence of any other media outlets. At the same time, buses carrying terrorists who will be released as part of the deal departed from Ofer Prison. 37 of them were received in Ramallah and five others were released to eastern Jerusalem. Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, arrived at the Kerem Shalom crossing to receive the bodies. Personnel from the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the police forensic team are preparing to assist in the initial identification of the bodies upon their arrival at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Prior to this, the Chief Rabbi of the IDF will hold a memorial ceremony for the dead hostages after they are transferred to the custody of the military in the Gaza Strip. Ahead of the release, the family of Tsachi Idan published a statement saying, "Our family received with great sorrow the announcement from Hamas that our beloved Tsachi is no longer among the living and that his body will be returned to Israel during the night. We are all still awaiting the longed-for certainty, which we can only obtain after his arrival in Israel and the completion of all necessary examinations by the authorized state authorities, while preserving the privacy of Tsachi and his family.” “Since Tsachi was abducted while standing on his feet, we received several signs of life, and in the previous deal last November, Tsachi was alive and expected to be released. We are grateful for the immense love and support we have received from the citizens of Israel, the media, and the Nahal Oz community. In these difficult hours, we ask that our privacy be respected. We will provide updates later after receiving details from the authorized authorities of the State of Israel," the family stated. Related articles: 'I'd like to get as many hostages as we can' Qatar comments on affair, makes no mention of PM's staff Hamas will not respond to Israel’s ceasefire counter-proposal Senior Hamas official: We are ready to release Israeli hostages The latest phase of terrorist releases is the largest since the beginning of Phase A of the agreement. A total of 620 terrorists from Gaza are expected to be released as part of this phase. They were originally scheduled to be released last Saturday, but their release was postponed by a decision at the political level. With the completion of this phase, the number of terrorists released since the start of Phase A will stand at approximately 1,700.
