Israel Receives Another Hostage's Body Amid Dispute Over Handover Delays

Israel has received the body of another hostage from Gaza, as disputes over delays in the return of remains under the ceasefire agreement continue. The Israeli military and security forces took possession of the coffin from the Red Cross inside the Gaza Strip. The remains were transported to Israel's National Center for Forensic Medicine for formal identification, with the deceased's family to be notified upon confirmation.

This marks the tenth deceased hostage Israel has received out of 28 bodies held in Gaza. Hamas has cited technical challenges, stating that heavy machinery and excavating equipment are needed to expedite the process of locating bodies buried under rubble. On Friday, two bulldozers were used in Hamad City, Khan Younis, as Hamas searched for hostages' remains in areas heavily bombarded during the conflict.

Turkey has dispatched a team of specialists to assist in retrieving remains buried under the rubble. However, as of Friday, the team was awaiting Israeli permission to enter the territory. A Turkish official noted, "It remains unclear when Israel will allow the Turkish team to enter Gaza," emphasizing that the mission includes locating both Palestinian and hostage remains. A Hamas source indicated that the Turkish delegation is expected to enter by Sunday.

Israel maintains that Hamas is aware of the hostages' bodies' locations and has expressed urgency in their return. Hamas, in turn, asserts its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and the handover of all remaining hostages' bodies.

The dispute over the return of hostage remains has cast a shadow over the ceasefire agreement, which is the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the war. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed concern over Israel's statements regarding the hostage bodies, questioning whether Israel might use Hamas' difficulties in locating bodies as a pretext to break the ceasefire. He stated, "There is concern in the international community over this."

Earlier on Friday, Hamas called on mediators to advance the next steps under the ceasefire, including reopening borders, allowing aid, initiating reconstruction, establishing an administration, and completing Israel's withdrawal.

While fighting has largely ceased in Gaza under Trump's plan, endorsed by mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, incidents have occurred. Gaza's Civil Defence Service reported that 11 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle southeast of Gaza City, including seven children and three women. The Israeli military did not comment on the incident, and Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire.

The 20 living hostages taken by Hamas during its assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, were returned from Gaza earlier this week. Israel announced preparations for reopening Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to facilitate Palestinian movement, though no specific date was provided amid mutual accusations of ceasefire violations.

Unresolved elements of the plan include the disarmament of militants and Gaza's future governance.