Israel identifies body of 11th hostage from Gaza amid ceasefire tensions | Israel

The Israeli military has identified one of two dead hostages brought back by Hamas, amid ongoing tensions over the ceasefire in Gaza and a dispute over reopening the Rafah border crossing for more aid.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it notified the family of hostage Ronen Engel early Sunday that his body had been returned. The 54-year-old man was killed in the attacks on the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7 and his body was taken to Gaza.

Engel was a photojournalist and volunteer ambulance driver for Magen David Adom. His death was confirmed in December 2023. His wife Karina and two daughters Mika and Yuval were also kidnapped, but were brought back as part of a deal in November 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the return of Engel’s body and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the return of all hostages remaining in Gaza.

Engal was one of two dead hostages Hamas brought back on Saturday; The delay in finding bodies buried under the rubble of Gaza was just one factor threatening the fragile ceasefire.

On Saturday night, the US state department said there were “credible reports” that Hamas would violate the ceasefire, adding that “a planned attack on Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and serious violation of the ceasefire agreement.” It was stated that in the event of such an attack, “measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and to preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.”

Israel had previously accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by not returning the remains of dead hostages. On Monday, Hamas returned the last 20 surviving hostages, but as of Saturday evening it had returned only 12 of the 28 dead captives and said it would need special rescue equipment to pull the rest from the ruins of Gaza.

The Gaza media office also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with Hamas 47 times, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding 143 since the ceasefire came into force in early October. The media office called on “the United Nations and the guarantor parties to the agreement to intervene urgently to force the occupation to end its ongoing aggression and protect the unarmed civilian population.”

On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed “until further notice” and that reopening the crossing would depend on how Hamas fulfills its ceasefire role of returning the remains of 28 dead hostages.

The Palestinian embassy in Cairo had previously said the region’s only gate to the outside world would reopen on Monday.

Hamas called on mediators to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s 2 million population, as crossings continue to be closed and Israel imposes restrictions on aid groups. Humanitarian aid organizations said that aid in Gaza remains critically inadequate, even though a week has passed since the ceasefire.

The Rafah crossing was the only crossing that was not under Israeli control before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza side. Full reopening of the border crossing will make it easier for Palestinians to receive medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt.

Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Saturday as part of a ceasefire agreement, bringing the total to 135. However, these were returned anonymously, only with numbers. Gaza’s Ministry of Health is posting photos of the families online, hoping they will come forward.

Meanwhile, the ruins of Gaza were being combed for the dead. The newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian death toll to over 68,000, according to the health ministry. Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.

Gaza’s civil defense agency estimates that the bodies of approximately 10,000 people are buried under rubble and collapsed buildings. Considering that there is an estimated 60 million tons of debris in the area, the task ahead of rescuers is enormous.

With Associated Press and Agence France-Presse