Hundreds gather as hostage remains are buried

TEL AVIV: Hundreds of people gathered in the stadium of hostage Tsachi Idan’s favorite soccer team in Tel Aviv Friday to pay their respects ahead of his burial.
The body of Idan was returned Thursday as Hamas handed over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of more than 600 Palestinian detainees held by Israel. It was the last planned swap of the ceasefire’s first phase, which began in January.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Idan, who was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza, was killed in captivity.
On Thursday, Egypt said that “intensive discussions” between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza have begun in Cairo. The first phase is set to expire this weekend, but the agreement says the truce remains in effect during the negotiations.
About 60 hostages remain in captivity, of whom Israel has declared 32 to be dead.
Meanwhile, Hamas said Friday it is committed to adhering to the ceasefire agreement with Israel, as negotiators tried to tackle the second phase of the with a fresh round of talks in Cairo.
The militant group said it “reaffirms its full commitment to implementing all terms of the agreement in all its stages and details” in a statement released Friday. It called on the international community to pressure Israel to “immediately proceed to the second phase without any delay or evasion.”
The statement came as talks on the second phase kicked off, though it was unclear if progress was being made. Israel and Hamas have accused one another of violating the ceasefire at various points during the first phase.
Under the terms of the truce Israel and Hamas agreed to in January, during the second phase Hamas is supposed to release all the remaining living hostages in exchange for Israel withdrawing all its troops from Gaza and ending the war.