Tel Aviv, Feb. 27, (dpa/GNA) – The bodies of four hostages handed over by the Palestinian militant group Hamas to Israel on Wednesday have been identified after the latest exchange between the two parties saw hundreds of Palestinians released from prisons.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Thursday that the bodies have been identified by the Israeli government as Shlomo Mantzur, Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat and Ohad Yahalomi.

All four were taken hostage during the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Under the terms of the ceasefire deal agreed in January, all 33 hostages – 25 alive and eight dead – due to be released by Hamas during the first phase are now back in Israel.

According to the relatives’ forum, 59 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, although only 27 are believed to be still alive.

The latest handover was carried out without the scenes witnessed during previous weeks, when armed Hamas fighters were present in front of loud crowds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had a reached an agreement over the terms of the handover with Hamas.

In return, 596 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons overnight, according to Palestinian sources.

A further 46 were to follow as soon as the bodies were identified.

Israel was due to release a total of 1,904 Palestinians during the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

Hamas said in a statement that further hostages would only be released if Israel adhered to the ceasefire agreement and entered into talks on the second phase of the agreement via mediators.

GNA