handover
Syrian authorities have taken control of the Qasrak air base in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, state news agency SANA reported, citing a defense ministry statement.
Israeli authorities confirmed receiving the remains, which will undergo forensic examinations to verify their identities.
Recovering the bodies of captives taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks is a key component of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect earlier this month, mediated by Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Turkey.
The group said the bodies were recovered earlier in the day.
Minister of Sports Dr. Ayman Ashour expressed pride in the project, describing it as the first of its kind in Africa and the Middle East, with an investment of EGP 2 billion. He characterized it as a major leap forward for scientific and medical research in Egypt.
In a statement, the Military wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, announced that the Zionist soldier holding American citizenship, “Edan Alexander,” was released in Khan Younis “following communications with the U.S. administration, as part of the ongoing efforts by mediators to establish a ceasefire, open the crossings, and deliver aid and relief to our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Saleh Al-Hamms, Director of Nursing at Gaza European Hospital, reported that 456 released prisoners were transferred to the hospital. Among them were 15 medical staff members. He stated that many of the prisoners were in severe physical condition, with some unable to walk due to the extensive beatings and torture they endured.
A total of 602 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israeli prisons, including 50 prisoners serving life sentences, 47 prisoners released in the 2011 Shalit deal who were re-arrested by Israel, 60 prisoners serving long sentences, and 445 Palestinians arrested during the war on Gaza.
These captives are the last living prisoners set to be freed during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
In a message to the family of the Israeli captives’ Bibas and Lifshitz, Hamas said that the movement “would have preferred your sons to return to you alive, but your army and government leaders chose to kill them instead of bringing them back.”
Paris will hand over eight artifacts to Cairo Thursday after they had been seized by France's customs authority in 2010.
