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Hamas has stated that it has transferred the remains of two additional Israeli hostages, adhering to the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement. However, the group asserts that additional time and specialized equipment are necessary to recover the remaining deceased individuals from the devastation in Gaza.
In a statement, the armed wing of Hamas affirmed its commitment to the agreement, indicating that it had returned all accessible bodies of hostages.
U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that Israeli forces could resume military operations in Gaza if Hamas fails to uphold the terms of the agreement.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office released a statement confirming the receipt, via the Red Cross, of coffins containing the remains of hostages, which are currently undergoing official identification procedures.
“The IDF urges the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages,” the statement said.
Senior U.S. advisors providing an update on the implementation of the 20-point peace plan stated that the U.S. government does not currently believe Hamas has violated the agreement by failing to retrieve the remains of all deceased hostages.
The advisors suggested that Hamas has acted in good faith by releasing living hostages and is actively engaging with various parties to locate and return the remains of those deceased.
Confirmation that the two bodies returned on Wednesday night are those of hostages would leave 19 still unaccounted for in Gaza. Under the first phase of the Gaza peace plan, Hamas is required to return the remains of all 28 deceased hostages.
However, Hamas’s armed wing stated that “the remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialised equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file”.
Earlier, Israel affirmed it would “not compromise” on the return of hostages, stating “the mission is not complete”.
Israel’s defence minister indicated that he had instructed the IDF to prepare a “comprehensive plan” to defeat Hamas in Gaza in the event of renewed hostilities.
Following a meeting with senior generals on Wednesday, Israel Katz stated that the military must be prepared to act if Hamas refuses to implement the peace plan.
These latest repatriations follow Israel’s announcement that one of the four bodies returned by Hamas on Tuesday was not one of the missing hostages.
The Hostages Families Forum has identified the other three deceased as Tamir Nimrodi, 20, Eitan Levy, 53, and Uriel Baruch, 35.
Earlier on Wednesday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel to immediately open all crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid, as stipulated in the ceasefire plan.
In a post on X, Fletcher said Hamas must “make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of the deceased hostages”.
He added: “As Israel has agreed, they must allow the massive surge of humanitarian aid – thousands of trucks a week – on which so many lives depend, and on which the world has insisted.”
He called for “more crossings open and a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles” and said “withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip”.
Trump’s ceasefire plan, which both Israel and Hamas accepted, envisaged the handover of all 48 hostages would be completed by noon on Monday. Hamas returned all the 20 living hostages on Monday.
However, the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement appears to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not have been able to find all hostage remains before the initial deadline on Monday.
Under the agreement, Israel also consented to hand over the remains of 15 Palestinians in exchange for each deceased Israeli hostage.
The Hamas-run health ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Israel has returned the bodies of an additional 45 Palestinians, bringing the total number of bodies released by Israel to 90.
Meanwhile, residents in Gaza report growing apprehension about the ceasefire’s longevity, and food prices have risen sharply as Palestinians stockpile essential supplies.
Local residents informed the BBC that traders and suppliers in the enclave have been hoarding food items, creating artificial shortages and driving up prices, due to fears that the conflict could resume.
“Every time we start to feel safe, new threats appear, and we fear the war will start all over again,” says Neven Al-Mughrabi, a displaced mother-of-six from Gaza residing in Khan Younis.
“I lost my house in Gaza City, I decided to stay here with my family because I don’t trust the ceasefire and we’re sick of displacement.”
She added that a trader in Khan Younis’s main market reported a surge in demand for flour, oil, and sugar within hours. “Despite the sudden rise of prices by about 30%, people are buying as if they don’t trust the calm will last long, everyone is afraid aid will stop,” Neven says.
U.S. advisors also stated that the U.S. is collaborating with Israel to establish “safe spaces” behind the yellow-line for civilians to seek refuge if they feel threatened by Hamas.
Looking ahead, the advisors expressed doubt regarding Hamas’s future role in governing any part of Gaza.
According to the advisors, the current priority is on “de-confliction,” which would facilitate the flow of aid into Gaza and the commencement of reconstruction, with an international security force still in its early stages of development.
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