Israel military has announced that the Red Cross is traveling to northern Gaza to retrieve the body of another deceased hostage, marking another step in the ongoing humanitarian efforts between Israel and international mediators. If verified, this would be the 16th Red Cross Gaza hostage body returned to Israel since the deadly Hamas attacks on 7 October. According to Israeli officials, the move comes as part of a coordinated effort involving Egyptian technical teams and representatives from Hamas. In a rare and tightly controlled move, Israel has allowed a Hamas member to enter an area of Gaza now under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control to assist in locating and recovering the remaining hostages’ bodies. Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian confirmed that the Red Cross, Egyptian teams, and one Hamas representative were permitted to move beyond the IDF’s Yellow Line under close Israeli supervision. The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been allowed to enter beyond the IDF position in Gaza, she said, noting that Egypt would also bring additional machinery, including tractor-type vehicles, to help search through debris and destroyed buildings.
Red Cross Heads to Northern Gaza to Recover Another Hostage Body Says Israel
Israel accuses Hamas of failing to fully comply with the two-week-old Gaza ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The deal required Hamas to return all 28 hostages’ bodies in its possession. So far, only a portion have been recovered. Hamas insists it is honoring the agreement but claims that many of the remaining hostages’ bodies are buried under rubble from years of warfare.Bedrosian stated that Hamas knows where they are located and there is no other option but for them to be released back home. She emphasized that Israel expects the return of all the hostages’ remains before moving forward with further phases of the peace plan. Since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October, all 20 living Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza. In addition, Israel has handed over 195 Palestinian bodies in return for 13 Israeli hostages, along with two foreign nationals one from Thailand and another from Nepal. Of the remaining deceased hostages believed to be in Gaza, 11 are Israeli, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing relatives of the captives, has urged Israel and the United States to delay the next phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan until all the hostages’ bodies are recovered. Meanwhile, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya acknowledged the difficulties in locating some of the remains, saying Israeli operations had altered the terrain of Gaza. He added that some individuals who had originally buried the hostages have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them. All but one of the deceased Red Cross Gaza hostage victims were among the 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 2023 assault on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has left more than 68,000 dead, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
source:BBC
