Israel delays aid after slow Hamas return of bodies
Israel has delayed aid to the Gaza Strip and kept the region’s borders closed, while resurgent Hamas fighters have asserted their dominance by executing men in the street, darkening the outlook for US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.
Because Hamas has been too slow to hand over the bodies of dead hostages, Israel has decided to restrict aid to the region and postpone plans to open the border crossing to Egypt until at least Wednesday, three Israeli officials said.
The militant group said it was difficult to locate the bodies.
Meanwhile, Hamas quickly retook the streets of urban areas in the Gaza Strip following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops last week.
In a video distributed late Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men with their hands tied behind their backs into a Gaza City square, forced them to their knees and shot them in the back as dozens of onlookers watched from nearby store fronts.
A Hamas source confirmed that the video was shot on Monday and that Hamas fighters participated in the executions.
Reuters was able to confirm the location with visible geographic features.
Trump gave Hamas the go-ahead to regain control of the strip, at least temporarily.
Israeli officials, who say the ultimate solution must permanently disarm Hamas, have so far refrained from commenting publicly on the reemergence of the group’s fighters.
On Monday, the US president declared to the Israeli parliament the “historic dawn of a new Middle East” as Israel and Hamas exchanged the last 20 Israeli hostages living in the Gaza Strip for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners.
But so far Hamas has delivered only four coffins of dead hostages; While at least 23 people are assumed to have died, the identity of one of them is not yet known.
Hamas informed negotiators that it would begin transferring four more bodies to Israel later on Tuesday, an official involved in the operation told Reuters.
While Israeli officials understand there may be some delay in rescue efforts, the hostages’ families and supporters expressed concern Monday that only four of the 28 bodies were returned.
The Hostages Family Forum, the grassroots organization representing most of the hostage families, called it a “blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas.”
Gal Hirsch, the senior official coordinating the return of hostages and missing people in Israel, said in a note to families that pressure was being put on Hamas through international mediators to speed up the process.
Aid trucks have not yet been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip at a rate expected to bring hundreds of people a day, and plans to open the crossing into Egypt, initially to allow some Gazans out to transport the injured elsewhere for medical treatment, have not yet been implemented.
Gaza residents said Hamas fighters became increasingly visible on Tuesday and deployed along routes needed for aid deliveries.
Palestinian security sources said dozens of people were killed in clashes between Hamas fighters and their rivals in recent days.
Meanwhile, Gaza health officials said an Israeli drone killed five people who went to check homes in an eastern suburb of Gaza City, and an airstrike near Khan Younis killed one person and injured another.
Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire.
The Israeli army said it opened fire on people who crossed ceasefire lines and approached its forces, ignoring calls to return.
Hamas sources told Reuters on Tuesday that the group would no longer tolerate violations of order and would target collaborators, armed looters and drug dealers.
Although the group has been greatly weakened after two years of Israeli bombardment and ground attacks, it has been slowly reasserting itself since the ceasefire came into effect.
It deployed hundreds of workers to begin clearing debris along key routes needed to gain access to damaged or destroyed housing and repair broken water pipes.
UNICEF spokeswoman Tess Ingram said she expects a significant increase toward the end of this week as aid arrives with tents, tarps, winter clothing, family hygiene kits and other critical supplies.
with AP
