The funeral procession itself was proof that the nation’s spirit had not broken. If it had, people would not have poured into the streets as they did.

Remains of Oded Lifshitz also handed over by Hamas to the IDF. Officials say the identification process revealed they all were murdered in captivity.

At such an event, there is no shortage of things to photograph, but a lot of the time, I felt compelled to keep my camera at my side and watch the moments with my own eyes.

Israeli and Hamas officials say they have reached an agreement to exchange the bodies of dead hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas transferred to Israel the bodies of four hostages on Thursday morning local time as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, the Israeli prime minister's office said. The big picture: The return of the bodies completes the release of 33 hostages as part of the first phase of the deal.

Mourners gather around the convoy carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, during their funeral procession in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Wednesday, Feb.

Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross early on Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will end.