Hamas hands over another body, strikes continue in Gaza
Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over another body to International Committee of the Red Cross workers in Gaza.
According to Hamas, the remains belong to a hostage kidnapped from Israel. The army said Red Cross workers were on their way with a coffin to representatives of the Israeli army.
The identity must then be verified at a forensic institute in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that it killed two Palestinians who approached the occupied area in the north of Gaza in a threatening manner.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that in both cases, the individuals approached the soldiers “in a way that posed a threat to them.”
“After their identification, IDF troops eliminated the terrorists to eliminate the threat.”
Both men reportedly crossed the so-called “yellow line” from which the Israeli army retreated as part of an agreed ceasefire.
Israeli fire also killed a Palestinian collecting firewood in central Gaza, Gaza health officials said.
Despite almost daily violence, Israel and Hamas continued to exchange the bodies of the dead under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10.
Hamas handed over all 20 live hostages held in Gaza in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian convicts and prisoners of war held in Israel.
Hamas also promised to hand over the remains of the dead hostages, but said the devastation in Gaza made locating the bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.
Hamas has so far returned 21 of the 28 hostages buried in Gaza. Gaza health officials said that in return, Israel handed over the bodies of 285 Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023.
Although the degree of violence has decreased since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to intermittently attack the Gaza Strip, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their ruined homes and allow more aid to enter.
Israel withdrew its soldiers from positions in the cities behind the yellow border line.
The ceasefire was brokered by the United States and both sides called on Washington to stop the violations.
with dpa
