The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received a coffin provided by Hamas, reportedly containing the remains of another deceased hostage held in Gaza.
To date, the remains of 15 hostages who died during or after the October 7 attacks have been returned to Israel.
This development coincides with an announcement from the Israeli government that it has permitted a Hamas member to enter IDF-controlled territory within Gaza. The individual is intended to assist Red Cross and Egyptian personnel in the search for the bodies of remaining deceased hostages.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the existing ceasefire agreement, citing the group’s failure to return all 28 bodies of hostages it was holding.
Hamas maintains that it is committed to the agreement brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, but requires assistance in locating remains buried under rubble resulting from two years of conflict.
“The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF’s Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision,” stated government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian during a Monday briefing.
Bedrosian also indicated that the Egyptian team would be bringing in additional equipment, including “tractor-type vehicles.”
All 20 living Israeli hostages were released shortly after the ceasefire commenced on October 10, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Israel has also transferred the bodies of 195 Palestinians in return for the remains of 13 Israeli hostages recovered from Hamas, as well as those of two foreign nationals – one Thai and one Nepalese.
Eleven of the deceased hostages still in Gaza are Israeli, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.
“Hamas knows where they are located, and there is no other option but for them to be released back home,” Ms. Bedrosian asserted.
Earlier, a representative group for the Israeli hostages’ families demanded immediate action to ensure Hamas releases all remaining bodies, suggesting a delay in the second phase of the US-led Gaza peace plan.
“The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration, and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations,” stated the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The statement followed reports in Israeli media citing an Israeli security official who indicated that the Trump administration was considering moving forward with the second phase of the peace plan, even if all hostages were not located.
On Saturday, Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya stated that the group was encountering “challenges” due to Israeli forces having “altered the terrain of Gaza.”
“Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them,” he added.
All but one of the deceased hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 individuals abducted during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities.
Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,500 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
UNIFIL reports that a drone flew over a patrol in an “aggressive manner,” while the Israeli military maintains that it was gathering intelligence and posed no threat.
Approximately 15,000 Gazans are awaiting urgent medical treatment, according to the UN.
Michael Smuss, an artist involved in making petrol bombs during the uprising, has died in Israel at the age of 99.
The US Secretary of State emphasizes that Israel must be comfortable with the composition of any peacekeeping force, but the mechanisms for deploying such a force without an agreement with Hamas remain unclear.
Vice-President Vance has characterized the move by far-right lawmakers as “stupid,” while Secretary of State Rubio cautions against the potential impact on the Gaza peace plan.