Hamas has confirmed that the release of 48 hostages, mostly Israelis, held in Gaza is scheduled to begin on Monday morning under the terms of a US-mediated ceasefire agreement.

“According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter,” Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Under the phased deal, Hamas will return the hostages first, after which Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees as part of the first stage of the agreement. There are believed to be 20 living hostages and 28 who are dead.

Hamas has indicated it may face challenges locating some of the deceased within the 72-hour deadline, and Israel is aware of this.

The agreement’s

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