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The four remaining hostages set to be returned in Phase 1 of the cease-fire and hostage-return deal will arrive in Israel late on Wednesday night in the final round of the current phase; the release of the bodies is scheduled for 11:00 p.m. At the same time, the Palestinian prisoners whose release has been delayed since Saturday will be handed over. Hamas published the names of the four hostages, but all of the names have not yet been made public in Israel.
Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour and 1 other dead hostage will be returned to Israel this evening
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Red Cross vehicles carry the remains of four dead hostages on their way to Israel
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Israelis wait to honor the dead hostages that were released in Gaza
(Video: Herzl Yossef)
The families of the hostages on the list received by the mediators have already been informed personally. Israel has clarified that an official announcement with their names will be published after the identification process is complete. At the same time, the prisoners whose release has been delayed since Saturday will be released.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on behalf of the family of Tsachi Idan, who was kidnapped on October 7 from his home in Nahal Oz, that: "Our family received with great sadness the announcement from Hamas that our beloved Tsachi is no longer alive and his body will be returned to Israel during the night. We are all still waiting for the long-awaited certainty, which we will be able to receive only after he arrives in Israel and all the necessary tests are conducted by the authorized authorities of the state, while maintaining the privacy of Tsachi and his family."
"Since Tsachi was kidnapped on his feet, we have received several signs of life, and in the previous deal in November last year, Tsachi was alive and expected to be released. We are grateful for the great love and support we receive from the citizens of Israel, the media and the Nahal Oz community. In these difficult times, we ask that our privacy be respected. We will update later after receiving details from authorized officials of the State of Israel," the statement from the family also said.
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Tsachi and Gali Idan and daughter Maayan, who was killed on October 7
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Tsachi Idan, 50, was kidnapped from his home in Nahal Oz, after terrorists who broke in and murdered his oldest daughter, Maayan. Their home became a sort of terrorist headquarters, where they gathered other families from the kibbutz. From there, they handcuffed and took Tsachi and Omri Miran, and Judith and Natalie Raanan, who have since been released.
Tsachi worked in high-tech, was married to Gali for 18 years, and the two are parents of four: the late Maayan, 15.5-year-old Sharon, who was with her aunt in Tel Aviv on Oct. 7, 12-year-old Yael, and 10-year-old Shahar. His family and friends say that he was "passionate about soccer and a fan of Hapoel Tel Aviv"
Danny Elgarat announced Wednesday evening that his brother Itzik is expected to return in the coming hours. "We received the phone call that we were so afraid of on the one hand, and on the other hand, we were waiting for it," he told Ynet. "We are very sad, we feel very bad, but right now we are focused on one thing - and that is to bring Itzik home, to Nir Oz, and there to give him all the respect he deserves."
"According to what we were told, at 11:00 p.m. he is expected to be handed over to the IDF and from there to certain identification tests, after which we will receive the official announcement. Although there is no such announcement yet, we do not expect any other result. Enough time has passed and we need to face reality. If some mistake was made, which I find hard to believe, then we will be surprised. Right now we just feel great sadness," he said.
Danny Elgarat said that the family heard from hostages who were returned in the first deal two months after October 7, and later from Sagui Dekel Chen and Yarden Bibas that Itzik had been alive when he was kidnapped and that by April his condition had deteriorated and his life was in danger.
Itzik, 69, was kidnapped on the day of the massacre from his home. He had been wounded by gunfire earlier and called his brother Danny to ask for help. Danny explained to him how to place a tourniquet, and then their conversation was interrupted. For a long time his condition was unknown, until it became clear that he had been kidnapped alive despite his injuries. Itzik had previously lived in Denmark, where his children live, and returned to Israel a few years ago.
Shlomo Mansour, 85, was the oldest hostage held in Gaza. He was kidnapped on October 7 from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim, when terrorists took him and handcuffed him. His wife Mazal begged for her life and managed to escape. About two weeks ago, the kibbutz announced that it had been informed by the IDF that Shlomo had been murdered on October 7 and his body taken in to Gaza. He is survived by five children and 12 grandchildren.
A funeral ceremony in Gaza, before the bodies are transferred for identification
The Ministry of Health announced Wednesday evening that the National Center for Forensic Medicine team is preparing to assist in identifying the bodies of the hostages upon their arrival at the Kerem Shalom crossing. After that, a medical investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of death at the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.
"The teams, which include forensic doctors and advanced laboratories, are working in cooperation with military and police officials, with the aim of ensuring a quick and sensitive process for the families," the ministry said.
Chief military Rabbi, Brigadier General Rabbi Eyal Karim, will hold a memorial service in the Gaza Strip for the fallen hostages who will be returned.
The Prime Minister's Office stated earlier that "in accordance with Israel's demands, an agreement was reached with the mediators: our four fallen hostages will be returned tonight as part of Phase I, in an agreed-upon procedure and without Hamas ceremonies
Israel confirmed Wednesday afternoon what was first reported by the Qatari Al Jazeera network regarding the release of the four hostages and the handover of the prisoners. An Israeli official later confirmed the report.
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The coffins of hostages returned in a previous round arrive at the National Center of Forensic Medicine
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Earlier, a police source told Ynet that preparations are also being made in Israel to return the hostages' bodies.
The Hamas Prisoners' Office said that "preparations are beginning at the European Hospital in Khan Younis to receive the prisoners released as part of the seventh round of the exchange deal, as they are expected to arrive between 10:00 p.m. and midnight."
This is how it will work
The release of the dead hostages is supposed to be taken care of without a handover ceremony, with Egyptian involvement and mediation. According to the agreement, Hamas was to hand over to Israel a list of the names of the four dead hostages that will be returned - something it has already done.
After that, the coffins will be delivered to Egypt via the Red Cross. At the same time and in a phased manner, Israel will release terrorists according to a specific outline that has been agreed upon. The outline will be carried out with Egyptian involvement and Egyptian supervision that will ensure that Israel receives the dead and releases the terrorists according to the progress of the process. Israel made it clear earlier that, until there is a final identification of the bodies, the last group of terrorists will not be released.
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"We will not release all the terrorists until we have a final identification and our people are handed over to us," said a senior Israeli official.
Once Israel verifies that the hostages are in Egyptian hands, a gradual process of releasing the terrorists will begin. The release will be done in several stages that could last a few hours in total. Initially, a specific group of terrorists will be released, then Israel will drive additional terrorists south toward the Kerem Shalom crossing. In the meantime, Israel will verify that the bodies are actually those of the kidnapped Israeli hostages.
"At any given moment, Israel has terrorists in its hands until they are finally identified," a senior Israeli official emphasized.
Violations from day one
Negotiations for the next phase of the deal have been taking place all week in the U.S. between President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the head of the negotiating team, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Internal discussions and processes have taken place within Israel. Israel plans to send a delegation as soon as the current phase is completed. At the moment it is not clear whether the delegation will arrive in Doha or Cairo, but as soon as the bodies are transferred, Israel will be ready to send a team.
Senior Israeli officials emphasized that, over the past month, Israel has warned the mediators not to turn a blind eye to Hamas' violations. During talks in Doha, and later in Cairo, Israel made it clear that it views Hamas' violations as serious. These violations include Hamas' decision to disrupt the implementation of the agreement when a cabinet discussion on Phase II began and the decision not to hold the previous meeting.
In talks in Cairo, Israel made it clear that the debasing and humiliating handover ceremonies are unacceptable, both in terms of the danger to the hostages as in the case with Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, and also in the manner in which the degrading ceremonies are performed. Israel specifically warned against such degrading ceremonies with the dead hostages. And although the message was conveyed and received, Hamas held a shocking ceremony with the coffins of the Bibas family and Oded Lipshitz, and in addition, they transferred a Gazan body to Israel, instead of that of Shiri Bibas.
Israel was also outraged by Hamas' shocking act last Saturday of bringing Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David to the release ceremony of Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen. "We warned against this and we will not tolerate this as the next attack," said an Israeli official.
First published: 17:54, 02.26.25