Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli delegation, headed by Minister Ron Dermer, to depart. The delegation will depart as early as tomorrow for the negotiations, which are to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Al-Arabiya reports that Hamas has begun locating the bodies of deceased hostages across the Gaza Strip, concurrent with advances in negotiations over a deal.
A Hamas official told the network there is a need for Israel to halt its airstrikes to allow the collection and its completion. “We started to collect the Israeli deceased hostages and asked for the strikes to stop in order to do so. The release of living hostages will be carried out in one stage, but handing over the remains will take some time.”
The official additionally said there is “American flexibility” regarding the handing over of remains and that Hamas has received American assurances via Qatar, including promises concerning a permanent Israeli withdrawal.
He added that Hamas informed the United States of its willingness to hand over its weapons to a Palestinian-Egyptian body under international supervision, and that the fate of the organization’s leaders depends on their decision.
