Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Militant group Hamas said on Thursday it was ready to begin talks on the second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza after several hundred Palestinians were released from Israeli jails overnight in return for the bodies of four Israeli hostages.

The militant group turned over four coffins it said contained the bodies of Israeli captives, and Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas handed over the last four dead hostages included in the first phase of a cease-fire agreement with Israel, as mediators race to extend the fragile truce. The bodies were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross under the supervision of Egyptian officials early Thursday local time,

What may be the last hostage exchange of this phase of the cease-fire was set to go forward late last night. Israel and Hamas have agreed to exchange the remains of four Israelis for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Israel said, and mediators guaranteed that Hamas would hand over the coffins without “humiliating ceremonies.”

Hamas says that it will return the bodies of four dead hostages on Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, two days before the first phase of the ceasefire betw

Israel remains noncommittal as Hamas says it's ready to negotiate and President Trump's envoy voices optimism the Gaza ceasefire "will get to stage two."

Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after a swap in which it handed over what it said were the remains of four hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.