"In accordance with the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is expected to begin Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter," Osama Hamdan told AFP.
If there are no last-minute setbacks, all living hostages are expected to be released, along with a significant number of the bodies of those who died in Hamas captivity. But uncertainty still looms: no official list or timetable has been issued, and Israeli officials fear possible complications in the final hours.
Israeli sources said they are also preparing for the possibility that Hamas may begin the release as early as Sunday, to ensure all hostages are freed before or during U.S. President Donald Trump’s brief visit to Israel, described by aides as “the shortest in history.”
Officials believe Hamas must first complete logistical preparations, moving both the living and deceased hostages to a central handover point. Under the agreement, the living hostages will be transferred first — possibly all at once to the Red Cross, rather than in smaller groups — followed by the return of the bodies. Still, Israel is bracing for alternative scenarios, including potential delays or partial compliance by Hamas.
Because the 20 surviving hostages are expected to return in fragile medical condition after more than two years in captivity, Israel has prepared for rapid evacuation to hospitals. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, and Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva have all been placed on high alert, with medical teams ready to make real-time decisions in the field.
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Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump attend Hostages Square rally
(Photo: Jack Guez/ AFP)
Meanwhile, every hostage family in Israel has received a phone call from their assigned intelligence officer, providing updated assessments of their loved ones’ status. Israeli officials said that since not all of the bodies are expected to be recovered immediately, an international task force — revealed earlier by Ynet — will begin working to locate the remains of those still missing
The multinational team, which includes representatives from the U.S., Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and Israel, is tasked with investigating intelligence leads on the locations of deceased hostages until everyone is found.