The Israeli government has allowed a Hamas member to enter the Gaza Strip controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to assist representatives of the Red Cross and an Egyptian team in the search for the bodies of 13 murdered Israeli hostages who have not yet been found. Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian stated that:
"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team and a Hamas representative have been allowed to enter beyond the IDF's yellow line in Gaza, under full Israeli military supervision."
She added that the Egyptian side would bring additional equipment, including “heavy equipment and tractors,” to assist in the excavation. Israel accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, which has been in effect for two weeks, after handing over only 15 of the 28 bodies of the hostages it was holding.
On the other hand, Hamas says it remains committed to the agreement brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, but that it needs help to find the bodies left under the rubble caused by two years of intense fighting.
After the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, Hamas released 20 live Israeli hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees.
Israel, on the other hand, has handed over 195 Palestinian bodies in exchange for the 13 bodies of Israeli hostages that Hamas has returned, as well as the bodies of two foreign hostages – a Thai and a Nepalese. Of the 13 slain hostages still in Gaza, 11 are Israeli, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.
"Hamas knows exactly where the bodies are and has no other option but to bring them home," Bedrosian said.
Meanwhile, the Forum of Families of Hostages and Disappeared urged the Israeli government and international mediators not to move to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump until Hamas hands over all troops.
"The families demand that Israel, the US and the mediators not advance to the next phase of the agreement without the full fulfillment of Hamas' obligations," the statement said.
Earlier, Israeli media reported that the US administration is pushing forward the second phase of the plan even though not all the hostages have yet been found.
Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Saturday that the group is facing "difficulties" after Israeli forces have changed the terrain in Gaza, making it difficult to locate makeshift cemeteries.
"Some of those who buried the bodies were killed, or they no longer remember the exact places where they buried them," he added.
All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,500 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
