GAZA CITY: Hamas said it would exchange the bodies of four Israeli hostages for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday (Feb 27), capping the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.The United States said talks were on track for a second phase of the ceasefire deal that has largely held but whose complexity and long-drawn-out implementation have highlighted its fragility.In Israel on Wednesday, thousands of mourners gathered for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons, who were killed in captivity in Gaza and had become symbols of the country's hostage ordeal.The ceasefire has largely halted the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the Oct 7, 2023 attack, and has seen 25 hostages released alive so far in exchange for hundreds of prisoners."Mediators have informed Hamas that the (hostage-prisoner) exchange will take place on Thursday ... Hamas and other resistance factions will hand over four bodies of Israeli captives, and in return, Israel will release more than 600 Palestinian detainees," a Hamas official told AFP.Another senior Hamas official said the "exchange will happen simultaneously".In Washington, US President Donald Trump's top envoy on the Middle East said Israeli representatives were en route to talks on the next phase of the ceasefire deal."We're making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak," Steve Witkoff told an event for the American Jewish Committee."It's either going to be in Doha or in Cairo, where negotiations will begin again with the Egyptians and the Qataris," he said.Israel has yet to confirm its release and has not commented on whether it is sending a delegation to discuss the second phase of the truce.This first phase is supposed to end on Saturday, but negotiations planned for the rest of the process - which were to begin in early February - have not yet started.Hamas has said it is ready to release "in one go" all the remaining hostages during the second phase.On Sunday, the group accused Israel of endangering the Gaza truce by delaying the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.Israel justified the delay by citing concerns over how the hostages have been freed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the process as "humiliating ceremonies".Israel's parliament held a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of three members of the Bibas family, as well as other victims of the Oct 7 attack on Israel."Yesterday, the funeral of Oded Lifshitz took place; today, the funeral of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas is taking place. We remember all the victims of Oct 7. We remember, and we will not forget," said Amir Ohana, speaker of the Knesset.Since the ceasefire took effect on Jan 19, Hamas has released 25 living hostages in public ceremonies across Gaza, where masked, armed fighters have escorted the captives onto stages decorated with slogans.Israel has released more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.The International Committee of the Red Cross has urged all parties to carry out prisoner and hostage swaps "in a dignified and private manner".In Israel, the prisoners are largely viewed as "terrorists" for the violent attacks they have carried out against civilians and security forces.For Palestinians, however, the releases are viewed as long-delayed justice with the prisoners often regarded as symbols of resistance against Israeli occupation.