The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netayahu, assured this Sunday that the country is prepared to immediately receive the 48 kidnapped people, although the official time at which their liberation from Gaza will begin is not yet known. “Israel is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages,” the president said in a statement after speaking with the Israeli coordinator for hostage affairs, Gal Hirsch.
Hirsch had already assured that “preparations for the repatriation of the live hostages” had been completed, which is estimated to be around 20 people. However, it is not yet clear whether the process will begin tonight, at dawn or on Monday morning, coinciding with the express visit to Israel of US President Donald Trump.
Regarding the deceased (about 28 captives, although there is a possibility that all the bodies have not yet been located), the coordinator indicated that preparations have also been completed for their repatriation at the hands of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and that they will be transferred “in a respectful manner” to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in order to identify their mortal remains.
The Palestinian prisoners and detainees who will be released are already in the Ofer prisons in the occupied West Bank and in the Ketziot prison in southern Israel, the latter from where they will be repatriated to Gaza and third countries. Thousands of officials worked throughout the night on Friday, according to the Israeli prison service, to transfer Palestinian prisoners who will be released after the hostage exchange to the Ofer and Ketziot prisons.
Informa EFE.