In the Gaza Strip, Hamas says it will hand over the bodies of four more hostages under a ceasefire deal, after Israel agreed to the release of Palestinian prisoners it had postponed.



The Islamic group announced on Tuesday that the agreement was reached through negotiations mediated by Egypt.



Under the six-week ceasefire that went into effect last month, Hamas is expected to return 33 hostages in exchange for Israel's phased release of Palestinians.



But Israel delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinians scheduled for Saturday last week. It accused Hamas of staging "humiliating" ceremonies for the freeing of the Israeli hostages.



In response, the Islamic group said it would refuse to return the remaining four bodies.



Israeli media outlets reported that the bodies will be handed over as early as Wednesday.



The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is due to expire on March 1, but negotiations for the next stage have made little progress. The second phase includes a permanent end to the fighting.



The US news site Axios cited the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, as saying that Israel will send a delegation to Qatar or Egypt, both mediating countries, in the coming days.