Hamas returns four more bodies of hostages, says Israeli military

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hamas returned the bodies of four more deceased hostages.

The Red Cross retrieved the remains in the coffins and handed them over to the Israeli army late Tuesday night.

The transfer came after Israel warned it would restrict aid to Gaza until Hamas returned the bodies of all 28 dead hostages. The Palestinian armed group returned 20 living and 4 dead hostages on Monday.

In the statement made by the Red Cross, it was stated that the remains of 45 deceased Palestinians held in Israel were returned to Gaza on Tuesday.

In US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, accepted by both Israel and Hamas, it was envisaged that the surrender of all 48 hostages would be completed at noon on Monday.

While all living hostages have been returned, pressure is increasing on Hamas and the Israeli government regarding the remains of 20 hostages that Hamas has not yet repatriated.

The IDF said in a statement on Tuesday: “Hamas must fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to ensure that all hostages are returned to their families and given proper burial.”

Israel’s defense minister warned the Palestinian armed group that “any delay or deliberate evasion will be considered a grave violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”

Israeli officials said they decided to restrict aid and postpone plans to open the Rafah border crossing with Egypt because Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement by not handing over the bodies of the hostages.

Hamas says it is having difficulty finding the remains of dead hostages.

A copy of the ceasefire agreement published by Israeli media last week appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian groups may not be able to identify all of the bodies within the original time frame.

An Israeli official suggested that an international task force would begin working to find the remains of those who were not repatriated.

“A huge burden has been lifted but the work WAS NOT DONE. THE DEAD DID NOT RETURN AS PROMISED! The second phase begins NOW!!!” Trump said on X:

Approximately 2 thousand Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released within the scope of the 20-point peace plan declared by the US president as the end of the two-year war.

The first phase of Trump’s plan was for the ceasefire to come into effect at 12:00 am (09:00 GMT) on 10 October.

While largely valid, the Palestinian Civil Defense told the BBC that seven people were killed by Israeli forces in two separate incidents on Tuesday, in eastern Gaza and east of Khan Younis.

Five people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Gaza’s eastern Shecaiye neighborhood, according to Wafa news agency, which quoted a medical source as saying “Israeli drones opened fire on residents inspecting their homes.” The Israeli army said it opened fire after soldiers crossed the yellow line drawn under Trump’s ceasefire plan.

Meanwhile, Hamas fighters showed they were regaining control in Gaza as reports that masked gunmen publicly executed eight Palestinians sparked fear and anger among residents.

While Hamas maintains that its fighters are working to “restore security” and “eradicate lawlessness”, many fear the group is using the chaos to settle scores with rivals and silence critics.

Trump signed the declaration on Monday alongside the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, the main mediators, and Türkiye, which has played a key role in the final stages of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were among more than 20 world leaders, including Muslim and Arab countries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas did not attend the meeting.

The plan calls for Gaza to be initially governed by a transition committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the “Peace Board”, followed by the transfer of power to the Palestinian Authority (PA) after undergoing reforms.

However, difficult negotiations will be needed to move on to the next stages of the plan.

Points of discussion include the scope and timeline of the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future administration of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas had previously stated that it would not disarm unless a Palestinian state was established and rejected the idea of ​​foreign rule in Gaza.

The Israeli army launched an operation in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.

At least 67,869 people have since been killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.