Hamas hands over more remains as Benjamin Netanyahu increases pressure
The Rafah crossing has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side. Fully reopening the crossing will make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, which is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Concern remains on both sides
Israel returns the bodies of Palestinians anonymously, only with numbers. Gaza’s Ministry of Health is posting photos of the families online, hoping they will come forward.
As families and friends of hostages whose bodies remain in Gaza continue to lobby for their return, people attend a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.Credit: Getty Images
Iman Sakani, whose son was lost in the war, said, “We want our captives just as they took captives. Bring me my son, bring back all our children.” Nasser was among dozens of worried families waiting at his hospital.
A woman knelt down and cried after identifying the body.
Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Saturday as part of a ceasefire agreement, bringing the total to 135.
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Meanwhile, the ruins of Gaza were being combed for the dead. The newly recovered bodies brought the number of Palestinians to more than 68,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in the counts. But the ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel objected to them without specifying its own fee.
Militants led by Hamas killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 251 people in the attack that sparked the war in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Pressure for remains of hostages
Israel also said the remains of the 10th hostage handed over by Hamas on Friday were identified as Eliyahu Margalit. The 76-year-old man was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz during the attack on October 7. His remains were found after bulldozers plowed areas in the southern city of Khan Younis.
US President Donald Trump warned that if Hamas does not return the remains of the dead hostages, he will give the green light for Israel to restart the war.
Hamas said it was committed to the ceasefire agreement, but recovery of the remains was hampered by the presence of unexploded ordnance in the vast ruins in the area.
The Israeli organization that supports the families of the kidnapped people said it would continue to hold weekly rallies in Tel Aviv until everyone returns.
According to the Hamas-run Civil Defense, the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire after crossing the ceasefire line are being brought to Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.Credit: access point
“God forbid, we don’t want to go back to war, but this whole ordeal must end and all the hostages must be returned,” said Ifat Calderon, aunt of released hostage Ofer Calderon.
Aid remains limited
Hamas has called on mediators to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, as crossings remain closed and Israeli restrictions on aid groups continue.
“A large part of the city is just barren land,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Saturday while visiting Gaza City, where international food security experts declared a famine earlier this year.
UN data released on Friday showed that 339 trucks have been unloaded for distribution in Gaza since the ceasefire began. According to the agreement, approximately 600 aid trucks must be allowed to enter per day.
COGAT, the Israeli defense body that oversees aid in Gaza, reported that 950 trucks, including commercial trucks and bilateral deliveries, passed through on Thursday and 716 on Wednesday, the UN said.
Israel said enough food had come in and accused Hamas of stealing much of it; The UN and other aid organizations deny this.
Hamas accuses Israel of violations
Hamas once again accused Israel of continuing attacks and violating the ceasefire, claiming that 38 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the ceasefire. There was no response from Israel, which still controls half of Gaza.
On Friday, Gaza Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, said nine people, including women and children, were killed when their vehicles were hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City. Civil Defense said the car crossed into Israeli-controlled territory in eastern Gaza.
The Israeli military said it saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the so-called yellow line and approaching soldiers. It was stated that a warning shot was fired, but the vehicle continued to approach in a way that constituted an “imminent threat”. The army said it was acting in accordance with the ceasefire.
