Massive destruction across Gaza has hindered Hamas from retrieving the remaining Israeli hostages’ bodies buried beneath the rubble. On Saturday, Egypt sent its first convoy carrying excavators and bulldozers into the enclave to assist in recovery operations.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal requires Israel to return 15 Palestinian prisoners’ bodies for each Israeli hostage body recovered. So far, Israel has handed over 195 Palestinian corpses, while Hamas has returned 18 Israeli bodies. Earlier this month, Hamas released all 20 living hostages.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “watching very closely” to ensure the bodies are returned within 48 hours. “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hamas Expands Search for Remaining Hostage Bodies
Hamas officials said the devastation in Gaza has made it almost impossible to locate bodies trapped under collapsed buildings. The group’s negotiator told Egyptian media that corpses lie buried deep underground and require specialized equipment for recovery.
On Sunday, Hamas expanded its search to new areas in the Strip to find the remaining 13 Israeli bodies, according to Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ chief in Gaza. The group hopes Egyptian and Turkish assistance will speed up the effort.
Last week, a Turkish convoy began clearing rubble in Khan Younis, where Israeli airstrikes left streets buried under an estimated 800 tonnes of debris. Municipal authorities said progress remains slow due to the scale of the destruction.
Israel Launches New Strike Despite Ceasefire Agreement
Israeli forces struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, injuring at least four people, Awda Hospital officials confirmed. It was Israel’s second attack on the camp in one week.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants from Islamic Jihad who were allegedly preparing an assault on Israeli troops. The group denied any such plans. Hamas condemned the airstrike as a “clear violation” of the ceasefire and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging the agreement.
Netanyahu defended the attack, saying Israel must act preemptively. “We thwart dangers before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in Gaza,” he said during his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
