Israel has received the list of the deceased hostages who will be released from Gaza on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday, without naming them, though their families have been informed, Reuters reported.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said, "Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for the State of Israel. A wrenching day, a day of grief. We are bringing home four of our beloved hostages, deceased. We embrace the families, and the heart of the entire nation is torn. My own heart is torn. So is yours."
He further said, "And all of the world's heart should be torn, because this demonstrates who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with — with such monsters. We are grieving, we are in pain, but we are also determined to ensure that such a thing never happens again."
A post from the official account of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said, "Israel has received the list of deceased hostages that are due to be released tomorrow, pursuant to the framework. The Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, has updated the families of the hostages via the representatives of the IDF."
"At this difficult hour, our hearts are with the grieving families. Additional credible information will be provided as needed, and we request to refrain from disseminating rumors and unofficial information", the post further said.
Earlier on February 15, the Israel Defence Forces announced the return of three hosatges after 498 days in captivity.