Hamas will not hold ceremonies when handing over hostages, sources say

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Eliya Cohen (left), Omer Shem Tov (center) and Omer Wenkert, flanked by armed fighters, on stage at a Hamas propaganda ceremony for their release in Gaza on February 22, 2025 (Eyad BABA / AFP)
Eliya Cohen (left), Omer Shem Tov (center) and Omer Wenkert, flanked by armed fighters, on stage at a Hamas propaganda ceremony for their release in Gaza on February 22, 2025 (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Hamas has agreed during talks in Egypt that it will not hold ceremonies during the handover of hostages to Israel, an Arab diplomat and a second source familiar tell The Times of Israel.

The ceremonies during the previous hostage deal at the beginning of the year, which saw emaciated hostages paraded before a crowd alongside anti-Israel slogans, infuriated both Israel and the US.

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