Israel has finalized preparations for the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, scheduled to begin Monday morning local time, according to Shosh Bedrosian, spokesperson for the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister's Office. Despite foreign reports suggesting an earlier timetable, Bedrosian confirmed that all 48 hostages, 20 living and 28 deceased, will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross under an agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
Bedrosian said Israel has been ready since Saturday night to receive the hostages, following extensive coordination among the IDF, Israel's Health Ministry and the country's security apparatus.
Gal Hirsch, Israel's Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, said Israel expects the operation to begin early in the morning, "around six or seven," and to be completed "by noon." He emphasized that "the agreement will be implemented exactly as signed."
Hirsch added that even after tomorrow's return of the hostages, "the mission will not be complete until every fallen hostage is brought home. I'm focused on tomorrow's operation, but equally mindful of the images of the fallen whom we are determined to return for burial in Israel. That effort will begin immediately with tomorrow's release."
According to the latest coordination between Israel and the Red Cross, the process will begin when the Red Cross notifies Israel that it has taken custody of the hostages. Hirsch declined to specify whether the hostages would be handed over at one location or several, but said Israel views the release of the 20 living hostages as a single "phase," expected to conclude by noon.
A Red Cross convoy, authorized by Israel to move freely within Gaza, will transport the hostages. The convoy includes jeeps and a minibus to ensure sufficient capacity if all are released simultaneously.
The hostages will first meet IDF forces inside the Gaza Strip, where military medical teams will conduct initial checks. Those requiring urgent care will be airlifted to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon or Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
If their condition allows, the released hostages will travel in an IDF convoy to the Re'im Base, where their families will be waiting. The base has been outfitted with 20 private rooms for family reunions and comprehensive medical evaluations.
At the same time, the convicted terrorists slated for release will be waiting on buses outside Israeli prisons. Only once all living hostages are safely in Israeli custody will the buses proceed to border crossings for the prisoners' release.
Immediately after delivering the freed hostages, the Red Cross convoy will re-enter Gaza to retrieve the bodies of the deceased hostages. Hirsch did not specify how many are expected to be returned tomorrow but said Israel "remains committed to locating and bringing back all of them."
The recovered bodies will be draped in Israeli flags and transported to Re'im Base, where they will be received with an honor guard and a prayer led by a military rabbi. From there, the remains will be taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification.
Hirsch said that the international task force responsible for locating the remaining bodies will begin work immediately after tomorrow's operation. "A joint task force of Israel, the US, Qatar, Egypt and the Red Cross will act as soon as it is clear who has been returned and who has not," he said. "It will work directly with Hamas, including activity on the ground. We will guide Hamas, and where engineering activity is required, we will allow the entry of equipment. We intend to move quickly to bring back all the fallen hostages. Israel will not permit reconstruction efforts in areas where intelligence indicates hostages are buried."
Hirsch declined to elaborate on the status of the two hostages for whom there is no current information, Tamir Nemrodi and Bipin Joshi, both listed by Israel as alive in the lists transmitted to Hamas. Their fate remains unclear, as neither has been heard from since the second day of the war.
"This is a day of tension, anticipation, deep pain and joy," Hirsch said. "A day filled with mixed emotions. It's important to understand that even tomorrow, the mission will not yet be complete."
