Hamas returns hostages' bodies; Israel frees Palestinian prisoners

Hamas has returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages, while Israel released a group of Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire deal. The handover occurred early Thursday, with the bodies confirmed by Israeli authorities. In Ramallah, over 600 Palestinian prisoners were welcomed by a cheering crowd after their release. This release was delayed due to tensions over Hamas's ceremonies for hostages following the October 7 attack on Israel. Negotiations for the next phase of the ceasefire are set to begin soon, with Israeli representatives traveling to talks in either Doha or Cairo. The current ceasefire phase is expected to end on Saturday.