Hamas‘ armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, announced that it had “fulfilled its commitment under the agreement (ceasefire, editor’s note) by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the bodies to which it was able to access“. “As for the remaining remains, their recovery and extraction requires considerable effort and special equipment“, said the press release again.
Shortly after, the Israeli army announced that two more hostage remains had been handed over to the Red Cross and were being transported to the Israeli army in the area of the Gaza Strip that it controls.
Last week, Israel and Hamas gave their approval to the first phase of US President Donald Trump‘s plan intended to put an end to the war triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, 2023, and which has since ravaged the Gaza Strip.
Under the plan, Hamas must release all hostages, living or dead, who were kidnapped on October 7, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous war in Gaza.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said on Sunday that an “international body”, agreed upon as part of the US-sponsored plan, would help “locate the (dead) hostages if they are not found and released” on Monday.
