Israel and Hamas agree on a new exchange, leaving a fragile ceasefire intact

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel and Hamas militants say they have agreed on the return of four bodies of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel, keeping a fragile ceasefire alive.

Also Wednesday, a funeral procession was held for a young Israeli family taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack. The bodies of the three were returned to Israel last week.

The release of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees has been delayed since Saturday when Israel accused Hamas of humiliating Israelis in hostage-release ceremonies that day. In return, Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal by failing to release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

But after days of talks, an agreement was reached.

An Israeli government official with knowledge of the agreement said that “in accordance with Israel’s demands, an agreement has been reached with the mediators for the return of four fallen hostages as part of Phase A.” The official was not authorized to speak on the record about the agreement.

Hamas confirmed this in a statement.

“An agreement was reached to resolve the problem of delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be released in the last batch, so that they will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners who were agreed to be handed over during the first phase,” read the statement.

The exchange of hostages’ bodies and Palestinians was set for later Wednesday.

On Wednesday, funerals were held for three members of the Bibas family, whose bodies were returned last week. Shiri Bibas, 32, and her sons Ariel and Kfir, ages 4 and nine months, were taken hostage to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israelis had hoped they would be freed alive.

Hamas said the Bibas mother and children were killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza more than a month into the Israel-Hamas war. Israel disputes that, saying the three were killed by their captors. An Israeli forensic team examined the remains but the forensic report has not been made public.

Crowds of Israelis lined the route of the funeral procession to pay their respects to the young family, carrying flowers, banners, placards and flags. The family requested a private funeral.

Under the ceasefire deal, reached Jan. 19, 33 Israeli hostages dead and alive were to be released in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. The first phase of the deal expires this weekend.

President Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to return to the region in the coming days to join in negotiations over extending the ceasefire deal.

The deal brought a pause in what had been 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza in which more than 48,000 Palestinians were killed, according to Gaza health authorities.

The war was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Contributors include Itay Stern in Tel Aviv, Israel, Yanal Jabarin in Jerusalem and Ahmed Abu Hamda in Cairo.