Agence France-Presse quoted Hamdan as saying, “The release of 48 hostages, alive or dead, the majority of whom are Israelis, in Gaza, will begin on Monday morning.”
Osama Hamdan added, in an interview with the agency, that “according to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange will begin on Monday morning, as agreed upon, and there is nothing new regarding this issue.”
He explained that “the fighters of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades did not inform the movement’s leadership of any procedural arrangements for handing over the hostages, including the issue of determining the location.”
Following the return of the hostages from Gaza, Israel will begin releasing about two thousand Palestinian detainees from its prisons, according to the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement signed by the two parties through American mediation.
Hamdan pointed out that “there are some names that Israel does not respond to regarding their release, but the negotiating delegation is still making an effort to achieve this release.”
He stressed that the lists were supposed to have been agreed upon finally on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.
Hamdan said that it is expected that five entry points for relief will be opened under the agreement, adding that the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will reopen “to individuals in both directions next Wednesday.”
Italy had announced that the Rafah crossing would be reopened on Tuesday, under the supervision of the European Union Border Assistance Mission, and with the participation of police officers from Italy, Spain and France.
