Hamas says it is handing over bodies of 4 Israeli hostages without public ceremony

Hamas is set to release the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages Wednesday night local time without the controversial public ceremonies it has been holding during the exchanges.The bodies of hostages Tsahi Idan, Ohad Yahalomi, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur are set to be released by 11 p.m.local time, according to Hamas’ military wing.

“The handover will take place without public presence to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay or obstruction,” the group said in a statement.Israel had warned the group to end the public ceremonies that marked each of the hostage exchanges during the tumultuous cease-fire, slamming it as propaganda that infringes on the rights of the dead.

Hamas’ ceremonies garnered international backlash when the terror group paraded around the coffins of Shiri Bibas, her toddlers Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz last Thursday.The Jewish state then suspended the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas agreed to stop the “humiliating ceremonies,” which the terror group appears to have agreed to.

Officials have since informed the families of the hostages of their looming return, with the Idan family eager to have their loved one come home.“We are all still waiting for the awaited certainty, which we will only be able to get after he returns to Israel and after all the necessary checks are performed by the bodies authorized by the state, while preserving the privacy of Tsahi and his family,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed the release of Yahalomi, a French-Israeli citizen.

“In these suspended hours of pain and anguish, the nation stands by their side,” Macron wrote on X.The hostage exchange is set to take place with the help of Egyptian officials, who will receive the bodies by the southern border before transferring them to Israeli officers, the Times of Israel reports.

While Hamas claims the exchange will ...