On Monday, Hamas surrendered the remains of a deceased hostage under escalating pressure to fulfil its commitment to return the remaining deceased detainees as stipulated in the Gaza truce agreement.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli soldiers have received a coffin purportedly containing the 16th of 28 remains of captives abducted during the attacks on October 7, 2023, as claimed by Hamas.
The Israeli military and security service were to transport the coffin from Gaza to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony before being taken to the national forensic institution for identification and subsequent return to the hostage’s family.
The families of all hostages have been informed, and we extend our heartfelt support during this challenging time. The endeavour to secure the return of our hostages is continuous and will persist until the final hostage is liberated,” the statement declared.
Deadline not met
A knowledgeable source within Hamas verified the transfer. The remains of an Israeli captive retrieved today in the Gaza Strip have been transferred to the Red Cross, according to the person who informed AFP.
The recent swap occurred as senior Israeli officials and an organisation representing the relatives of the October 7 hostages urged Hamas to expedite the transfer, which had decelerated since the release of its 20 live captives.
Hamas possesses precise knowledge of the whereabouts of each murdered hostage. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, two weeks have elapsed since the deadline established in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, although 13 continue to be held captive by Hamas.
The families implore the Israeli government, the United States administration, and the mediators to refrain from progressing to the subsequent phase of the agreement unless Hamas meets all its duties and returns every hostage to Israel, stated the organisation.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem asserted that the assertion regarding the group’s knowledge of the locations of the other missing dead is “false,” contending that Israel’s shelling over the two-year struggle has rendered these areas unrecognisable.
“We reiterate our dedication to finalising the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement to avert any pretexts for occupation,” he stated, alluding to Palestinians’ concerns that Israel would resume military operations despite the truce.
“We are resolute in our intention to transfer the bodies of the Israeli captives at the earliest opportunity,” he stated.
Search corpses.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants seized 251 individuals in an assault on Israel, the majority of whom were subsequently released, rescued, or recovered before this month’s ceasefire.
The assault resulted in the fatalities of 1,221 individuals, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP count derived from official Israeli statistics.
Israel’s ensuing offensive on Gaza resulted in a minimum of 68,527 fatalities, as reported by the health ministry of the Hamas-controlled region, which the UN deems credible.
On Monday, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the lifting of the state of emergency in districts adjacent to the Gaza border for the first time since the 2023 attack.
Hamas asserts its dedication to the ceasefire and claims it is endeavouring to recover all remaining bodies—11 Israelis and two workers from Thailand and Tanzania—though the search has been obstructed by the devastation inflicted on Gaza during the conflict.
Over the past two days, Egypt has deployed recovery teams and heavy machinery into Gaza, with Israeli consent, to assist in the recovery efforts.
Israeli spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian stated that a contingent of Red Cross personnel, Egyptian rescuers, and a Hamas representative was searching for bodies and had been permitted to traverse the designated Yellow Line into the territory of Gaza overseen by Israeli forces.
A Red Cross spokesman also confirmed the Red Cross’s involvement in the search crew.
Resistance to Turkey
No definitive timeline has been established for the subsequent phases of the Gaza truce plan; nevertheless, the administration of US President Donald Trump is endeavouring to assemble an international security force comprising troops from Arab and Muslim countries to oversee the truce.
Israel has expressed vehement dissent to Turkey’s involvement in the suggested security force.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has adopted a hostile stance against Israel, encompassing not only antagonistic rhetoric but also diplomatic and economic actions against the nation.
“It is unreasonable for us to permit their armed forces to enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not consent to this, as we have communicated to our American counterparts,” he stated at a news conference during his visit to Budapest.
The US military has established a coordination headquarters in southern Israel to oversee the truce and facilitate relief and reconstruction; however, aid organisations are advocating for increased access for humanitarian convoys within Gaza.
Israel has retracted its forces from Gaza’s principal cities. Still, it maintains control over around fifty per cent of the area from positions along the Yellow Line. It has declined to allow passage for assistance through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
