Hamas has handed over to Israel another body of a captive recovered from the devastated Gaza Strip, as reported by international media.
The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said their fighters handed over the body at 11 p.m., but did not specify where it had been recovered from. The Palestinian organization appealed to the international community and mediating countries to pressure Israel to open border crossings and allow aid to reach Gaza.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister later confirmed that the body had been received from Hamas and transferred to Israel through the Red Cross. The family will be informed after formal identification at the National Center for Forensic Medicine of the Israeli Ministry of Health.
The Israeli army has appealed to the public to avoid spreading rumors before the official identification. The army also said Hamas must abide by the agreement and take necessary steps to return all the slain hostages.
Hamas said it is adhering to the terms of the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States and has returned all the bodies of captives it managed to recover from the rubble; however, it needs heavy machinery and rescue teams to retrieve the remaining bodies.
According to Al Jazeera, Hamas said that 18 bodies are still in Gaza, but Israel has not allowed the entry of new machinery. Former Israeli ambassador Alon Liel said there is an emotional response among the Israeli public over the return of the bodies, and pressure is mounting on the government.
According to Al Jazeera’s report, Türkiye had offered to send 81 experts to Gaza to assist in locating the bodies, but Israel did not grant permission.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that if Hamas fails to return all the bodies according to the agreement, he will allow Israel to restart the war. So far, Hamas has returned 9 captives’ bodies, while the 10th body handed over on Friday, according to Israel, did not belong to a captive.
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians are still trapped under the rubble, of which only 280 bodies have been recovered so far.
