section_path: Ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchanges/Final exchange (26–27 February)
section_name: Final exchange (26–27 February)
paragraph_text: Final exchange (26–27 February)
  
  On 25 February, Israel and Hamas said that they reached a deal to exchange the bodies of Israeli hostages who were agreed to be handed over during the first phase for releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli media outlet Ynet reported that bodies of Israeli hostages will be handed over to Egyptian authorities with no public ceremony.
  
  On 26 February, the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades and Hamas said that they will hand over the bodies of Israeli hostages Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mansour. Later, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages. The Israeli PM's office stated that three of those hostages were killed in captivity in Gaza and one of them were killed during the 7 October attacks. Palestinian medics said that Israel returned the body of a Gazan woman that Hamas handed over in place of killed hostage Shiri Bibas to a hospital in Gaza following the return of Bibas's body.
  
  596 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel, including over 100 with life-sentences and serious offenders. Among them: Alaa al-Din al-Bazyan, who was involved in numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2014 Gush Etzion kidnapping and murder of 3 Israeli teenagers; Ammar Zaban, who played a key role in Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and was accused of the murder of 27 Israelis. On 27 February, 46 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel.