Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched negotiators to Cairo on Thursday after Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The overnight swap was the final stage of an initial deal under the fragile truce that took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of war in Gaza.
Under the first phase which expires Saturday, Hamas freed 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages seized in its October 7, 2023 attack and returned the bodies of eight others. It also released five Thai prisoners outside the deal's terms.
Israel, in return, was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas officials told AFP that Israel had freed about 1,700 so far.
Israel's Prison Service confirmed that "643 terrorists were transferred from several prisons across the country" and released under the terms of the truce deal after Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages.
AFP journalists saw hundreds of prisoners being released early Thursday in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News said 97, marked for deportation by Israel, had arrived at Gaza's Rafah crossing.
After the swap Hamas called on Israel to return to delayed talks on a second phase of the deal, intended to lead to a permanent end to the war.
"We have cut off the path before the enemy's false justifications, and it has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase," Hamas said.
Later on Thursday, Netanyahu's office said he instructed Israeli negotiators to head to Cairo for the Gaza talks.
The prisoners freed Thursday were meant to be released last weekend but Israel delayed the process after Hamas staged elaborate handover ceremonies.
Hamas said Thursday's handover would take place in private "to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay".
In Ramallah, several freed Palestinians were lifted onto shoulders. A group of women wept around one released prisoner, and a child held aloft flashed victory signs with both hands.
"We were in hell and we came out of hell. Today is my real day of birth," said one prisoner, Yahya Shraideh.
Hours after the handover, an Israeli campaign group confirmed "with profound sorrow" the identities of the four bodies Hamas returned on Thursday.
Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mansour "have been laid to eternal rest in Israel", said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Netanyahu's office said based on "all of the information at our disposal", Yahalomi, Idan and Elgarat "were murdered while held hostage in Gaza".
Mansour, it added, was "murdered in the 7 October 2023 massacre" which triggered the war.
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