Hamas Returns Deceased Hostage Remains as Gaza Ceasefire Implementation Faces Challenges

Hamas transferred the remains of a deceased hostage on Monday amid mounting pressure to return remaining captive bodies as stipulated in the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed Israeli forces received a coffin containing what Hamas identified as the sixteenth of 28 bodies of hostages captured during the October 7, 2023 attacks.

The Israeli military and security services were scheduled to transport the coffin from Gaza to Israel, where it would be received in a military ceremony before being taken to the national forensic institute for identification and eventual return to the hostage's family.

"All of the hostages' families have been informed accordingly, and our hearts are with them during this difficult time. The effort to return our hostages continues and will not end until the last hostage is returned," the statement affirmed.

A Hamas source confirmed the transfer, stating, "The body of an Israeli captive recovered today in the Gaza Strip has been handed over to the Red Cross."

This exchange occurred as senior Israeli officials and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum demanded Hamas expedite the transfers, which have decelerated since the release of 20 living captives.

"Hamas knows precisely where each deceased hostage is held. Two weeks have passed since the agreement's deadline for returning all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas custody," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated.

"The families urge the Israeli government, United States administration, and mediators not to proceed to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfills all obligations and returns every hostage to Israel," the association declared.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem disputed the claim that the group knows the location of all remaining bodies, asserting it was "false" and arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year conflict had rendered locations unrecognizable.

"We affirm our commitment to completing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement to prevent the occupation from finding any pretexts," he stated, referencing Palestinians' concerns that Israel might resume military operations despite the truce.

"We are determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible," he added.

During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas militants captured 251 hostages, most of whom had been released, rescued, or recovered before this month's ceasefire.

The attack resulted in 1,221 deaths, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza killed at least 68,527 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

On Monday, Israel lifted the state of emergency for areas near the Gaza border for the first time since the 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced.

Hamas maintains its commitment to the ceasefire and insists it is working to return all remaining bodies—11 Israelis and two workers from Thailand and Tanzania—but claims the search has been hampered by war-related destruction throughout Gaza.

In recent days, Egypt has deployed recovery crews and heavy earth-moving equipment into Gaza, with Israeli approval, to assist with the recovery operation.

Israeli spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian confirmed that a team comprising Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers, and a Hamas member were searching for bodies and had been permitted to cross the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled Gaza areas.

A Red Cross spokesperson also confirmed their participation in the search team.

No definitive timeline has been established for the next phases of the Gaza truce plan, but the Trump administration is working to establish an international security force with troops from Arab and Muslim nations to monitor the truce.

Israel has expressed strong opposition to Turkey's participation in the proposed security force.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey had "led a hostile approach against Israel, including not only antagonistic statements but also diplomatic and economic measures against Israel."

"It is unreasonable for us to allow their armed forces to enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that. We have communicated this to our American friends," he added during a news conference in Budapest.

The US military has established a coordination center in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and coordinate aid and reconstruction efforts, but humanitarian organizations continue pushing for greater access for aid convoys within Gaza.

Israel has withdrawn forces from Gaza's main cities but still controls approximately half the territory from positions along the Yellow Line and has resisted calls to permit aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.