Hamas on Saturday transferred the bodies of two more deceased Israeli hostages to the Israeli side, while Israel, on the same day, handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinian detainees to the Palestinian side under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Sunday that the remains of two deceased hostages had been transferred through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and were sent to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine for identification.
To honor the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israeli which went into effect on Oct 10, Hamas has so far transferred 12 of the 28 bodies of the deceased hostages to Israel.
Hamas said on Saturday that it had previously released all the living Israeli hostages, and had immediately handed over all the transferable bodies of the deceased hostages.
However, Israel is manipulating the issue of transferring the bodies of the deceased Palestinian detainees while continuing to launch airstrikes on the Gaza Strip to intimidate civilians, Hamas said.
In addition, Hamas said that the reconstruction of Gaza should have started immediately after the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, but Israel is intentionally postponing it.
Hamas said it is now discussing with the mediators to determine the arrangements for entering the second phase of negotiations.
Several Israeli media outlets have previously quoted Israeli officials as saying that as Hamas has not returned all the bodies of the deceased Israeli hostages, negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have not yet begun.
Israel, Hamas continue exchanging bodies of detainees
Israel, Hamas continue exchanging bodies of detainees
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.
The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.
The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.
The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.
The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
