Israeli hostage bodies set to be returned

Beginning in the Middle East, Hamas is set to return the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two young sons, as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas confirmed the identities of the four bodies on Wednesday ahead of returning them to Israel on Thursday.

They include Shiri Bibas, aged 32, and her two young boys, 4, and 9 months old, who, for many Israelis, have come to symbolize the plight of those taken as hostages.

The family had been abducted during the October 2023 attacks on southern Israel and had since been held captive.

In addition, the body of 83-year-old retired journalist Oded Lifshitz is also set to be returned.

The developments are part of the initial phase of a ceasefire agreement, which includes the release of 6 living Israeli hostages on Saturday, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation was "torn," ahead of the return of the bodies.