DIER-AL BALAH, Oct 18: Israel on Friday received the remains of another hostage from Gaza, handed over by Hamas via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The remains are being formally identified, and the family will be notified. This follows Hamas’ recent handover of the remains of nine hostages, though one was later determined not to be a hostage.
The return of hostages’ bodies is a central requirement of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, which Hamas claims to be upholding.
US President Trump has warned that failure to return all hostages’ remains — currently 28 — could lead to the resumption of Israeli military operations.
Hamas says Israeli bombardment has buried bodies under rubble and restricted access to digging equipment. In Khan Younis, bulldozers were seen searching for remains in areas devastated by Israeli strikes.
Meanwhile, Hamas has urged mediators to increase aid flow, reopen the Rafah border crossing, and start reconstruction.
The group also called for establishing an independent Palestinian committee to govern Gaza and a continued Israeli withdrawal.
All 20 living Israeli hostages were released earlier this week in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has returned 90 Palestinian bodies and may return more. Palestinian forensics claim some bodies showed signs of mistreatment.
The war, which began with Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks, has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians.
Thousands remain missing. Amid this, France, along with the UK and US, is preparing a UN resolution to establish an international force to oversee Gaza’s transition and security, with Arab nations expected to contribute troops.
Separately, Trump officials expressed surprise and concern over Israel’s recent strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar during ceasefire negotiations.
Jared Kushner said Trump felt Israel was acting against its own long-term interests.
On the humanitarian front, aid deliveries remain below the agreed levels.
The UN says only 339 trucks have offloaded since the ceasefire began, well short of the 600 daily target.
WFP has delivered over 3,000 metric tons of supplies, but Gaza’s 2 million people continue to suffer amid food shortages and famine conditions. Over 400 have died from malnutrition-related causes, including more than 100 children. (ap)
