The Israeli government confirmed this Sunday that the 20 live hostages will be released “on Monday morning”, noting that, if Hamas is ready to hand them over earlier, Israel is willing to bring the process forward by a few hours.
Brazil is six hours different from Israel, therefore, the release must take place between the night and the end of the morning according to Brasília time.
“The release of our hostages will begin early on Monday morning. We hope that our 20 live hostages will be handed over all together to the Red Cross,” Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said in a virtual press conference.
The Red Cross Committee team will receive the captives and hand them over to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in areas of Gaza still “controlled by Israeli forces”, explained the spokeswoman, adding that, after this process, they will be taken to the Reim military base, about six kilometers from the border with the enclave, on Israeli soil.
There, they will undergo an initial medical examination and be reunited with their families before being transferred to a hospital.
Bedrosian confirmed that ten of the hostages will be transferred to Sheba Hospital, five to Beilinson Hospital and five to Ichilov Hospital, all in cities outside Tel Aviv.
Regarding the 28 dead hostages, the spokeswoman did not specify whether the handover will be simultaneous or shortly after the return of the living, but said that the Red Cross will hand over the remains to troops in Gaza, and that a “brief ceremony” and a Jewish prayer will be held inside the Palestinian enclave.
The bodies will be transported in coffins covered with the Israeli flag and taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv, where the process of identifying the bodies and notifying families will begin so that burials can take place.
The spokeswoman reiterated that Israel has been preparing since Saturday for the release of the captives, and that, therefore, this process could be brought forward if Hamas decides to release the hostages sooner than expected.
