Hamas to exchange hostages' bodies for Palestinian prisoners

Hamas announced it will exchange the bodies of four Israeli hostages for over 600 Palestinian prisoners on February 27. This marks a significant step in the ongoing ceasefire deal, which has seen 25 hostages released alive so far. The United States reported that talks for a second phase of the ceasefire are progressing, with Israeli representatives heading to negotiations. The first phase of the ceasefire is set to end on Saturday, but further discussions have not yet begun. In Israel, thousands mourned the Bibas family, who were killed in captivity. The ceasefire has largely held since January 19, despite accusations from both sides of violations.