Widespread devastation across Gaza has made it nearly impossible for Hamas to locate and recover the bodies of Israeli hostages buried beneath the rubble. On Saturday, an Egyptian convoy carrying excavators and bulldozers entered Gaza to assist with the recovery efforts.
Under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel agreed to return 15 bodies of imprisoned Palestinians for every Israeli hostage body recovered. So far, Israel has handed over 195 Palestinian bodies, while Hamas has returned 18 Israeli bodies. Earlier this month, Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages.
US President Donald Trump said he is “watching very closely” to ensure the bodies are returned within 48 hours. He wrote on Truth Social, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now, and for some reason, they are not.”
Hamas Expands Search Operations Across the Strip
In the past five days, Hamas has failed to recover any more bodies, citing the massive destruction of Gaza as a major obstacle. A Hamas negotiator told Egyptian media that corpses remain deeply buried underground and require specialized machinery for retrieval.
On Sunday, Hamas expanded its search to new areas in the Gaza Strip to find the remaining 13 bodies, according to Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ leader in Gaza. Earlier, a Turkish convoy entered the enclave to help clear rubble in Khan Younis, where about 800 tonnes of debris accumulated from Israeli airstrikes.
Despite the assistance, search operations continue to move slowly as much of the area remains inaccessible and heavily damaged.
Israel Launches Another Strike on Refugee Camp
Israeli forces struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, injuring at least four people, Awda Hospital officials reported. It was Israel’s second attack on the camp within a week.
The Israeli military said it targeted Islamic Jihad militants allegedly planning attacks on Israeli troops, though the group denied any such operation. Hamas condemned the airstrike as a violation of the ceasefire and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to derail peace efforts.
Netanyahu defended the strike during a Cabinet meeting Sunday, saying, “We act to prevent threats before they occur, as we did yesterday in Gaza.” The incident has reignited tensions just as international mediators push to maintain fragile stability in the region.
