The bodies of four Israeli hostages were returned in the night, including that of the last Franco-Israeli Ohad Yahalomi-Liberation

No macabre staging. Hamas has returned to the night and discreetly, the remains of four Israeli hostages. Israel, who had demanded that the discount is « Without Hamas ceremonies »,, Unlike previous exchanges, received the coffins of « Four hostages fallen » And indicates that it has started the identification process.

Early this Thursday morning, the Kibbutz Nir Oz confirmed the death of one of its members, Itzik Elgarat and a little later, that of the last Franco-Israeli, Ohad Yahalomi. He was 49 years old on the day of his abduction during the attack on Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. He is the second of the four hostages whose bodies were returned in the night to be identified. After confirmation of the death of the Franco-Israeli Thursday morning, Emmanuel Macron posted a message on the social network X: “I share the immense pain of his family and loved ones. France has lost fifty of its children in the infamy of October 7. Hamas barbarism must end. « 

At the beginning of the morning, the sister of the hostage shlom Mansour in turn confirmed on television that her body had been identified. « We received the ad (…) it's very difficult »said Madame Lazar by phone to chain 12. Born in Iraq, Shlomo Mansour, was one of the founders of Kibbutz Kissoufim. Israeli authorities announced on February 11 that it was killed on October 7, 2023 at the age of 85, during the attack on Hamas on Israel and that his body was taken to Gaza.

During the night, a bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah, in an occupied West Bank, where the ex-prisoners were greeted by a jubilation, noted an AFP journalist. Bearing the traditional Keffieh and jackets to cover their prison uniforms, the liberated prisoners went down from the bus in front of a compact crowd that acclaimed them, before submitting to a quick assessment. Sources of security and witnesses also reported the arrival of hundreds of prisoners in Khan Younès, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli media, the four hostages with which the bodies were to be returned are Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlom Mansour, thus confirming the identities published earlier by Hamas. Two officials of the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP that 625 Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange. According to one of these sources, it is 602 Palestinians who should have left prison on February 22 in exchange for six Israelis released by Hamas, and 23 women and minors.

This is the last exchange provided for as part of the first phase of the negotiated truce via the mediation of three countries – Qatar, Egypt, United States – and entered into force on January 19 in the Gaza Strip after fifteen months of war. The first phase of the truce must end on March 1. By including the restitutions of the night, it allowed the return to Israel of 33 hostages, including eight deceased. About 1,700 Palestinians were released.

Hamas confirmed Thursday that it has received « 600 prisoners » and estimated that Israel had now « No other choice » than to start negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire. « He has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase »judged the Palestinian Islamist movement in a statement, saying that I have not been able to have « False apologies » To fail the process.

The uncertainty weighs on the continuation of the ceasefire: the terms of the second stage, supposed to start on March 2 and lead to the final end of the war and the release of all the hostages still retained in Gaza, have still not been negotiated. Again on Wednesday, the Israeli army said it had struck the launching of projectiles in Gaza, after having identified a shot earlier, fell into the Palestinian territory.

Tuesday evening, the emissary of American president Donald Trump for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, however made « Lots of progress » with a view to a recovery of talks. He announced that Israel sent a team of negotiators « Either in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin. » Israel has not confirmed this information. Hamas had previously said it ready to give Israel All the hostages remaining « in one go » During this second phase.

Before the exchange of the night, out of the 251 hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel, 62 were still retained in Gaza, including 35 dead, according to the Israeli army.

In Israel, tens of thousands of people praised on Wednesday along the roads The passage of the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas And his two little boys, killed in captivity in Gaza and become the symbol of the hostage tragedy. Last week, the return of their remains profoundly moved to Israel and beyond. « Shiri, I ask you for forgiveness for not being able to protect you »launched her husband, Yarden Bibas, released from Gaza on February 1, in his funeral praise full of emotion, in a cemetery near the Kibbutz Nir Oz, in the south of Israel, where the family had been removed.

During the funeral, the family asked all Israeli officials to assume responsibility for the death of their relatives in captivity. « They could have saved you but preferred revenge« Launched Ofri Bibas, Shari's sister-in-law.

The attack on Hamas resulted in the death of 1,215 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data and including dead or killed hostages. A total of 251 people had been removed. The Israeli offensive carried out in retaliation in Gaza left at least 48,319 dead, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health of Hamas, deemed reliable by the UN.

Update : at 8:10 a.m., with Emmanuel Macron's declaration after the confirmation of the death of Ohad Yahalomi and the identification of the body of the third hostage returned, Shlomo Mansour.