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As the first phase of the agreement begins, the mechanisms for transferring both the living and deceased hostages from Gaza to Israel have become clearer.

The Israeli army announced that it is prepared to oversee the simultaneous release of all twenty living hostages, provided that Hamas frees them at once.

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Israeli officials outlined on Thursday the procedures under which the army will withdraw from Gaza and later oversee the release of the hostages, once the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan takes effect.

The ceasefire in Gaza came into force on Friday morning, following the government’s approval of the first phase of the agreement. The Israeli military began a gradual withdrawal to the agreed deployment lines, while maintaining control over slightly more than half of Gaza’s territory — about 53% — mostly outside urban areas.

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Within 72 hours of the Israeli withdrawal, Hamas is expected to release the 48 hostages it still holds, starting with the twenty believed to be alive.

Hamas had previously informed mediators that it did not know the location of some of the deceased hostages’ remains, which may delay the recovery of certain bodies.

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How the Hostages Will Be Transferred

According to The Times of Israel, Hamas will hand over the living hostages to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), without any formal release ceremony.

The Red Cross will then transfer the hostages to Israeli army forces waiting inside Gaza.

They will then be escorted out of Gaza to the Re’im military base, near the border, where they will undergo initial physical and psychological examinations.

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Some family members of the hostages are expected to wait at the Re’im base to reunite with their loved ones.

Later, the hostages and their families will be transferred to hospitals in central Israel for further medical care and to meet other relatives.

Those in need of immediate medical attention will be airlifted directly to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, without passing through the Re’im facility.

The bodies of deceased hostages will be received by Israeli forces inside Gaza, where a religious ceremony led by a military rabbi will be held.

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Explosive experts will inspect the coffins for security reasons, according to the Israeli army.

Coffins containing the bodies of civilian hostages will be sent to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for identification, a process expected to take up to two days.

As for the bodies of soldiers, they will be transferred to the Shura military base for identification.

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