Israel threatens Hamas over withholding bodies of dead hostages

Israel is calling on the Islamist Hamas to hand over all dead hostages and is threatening to return to war in the Gaza Strip if the ceasefire agreement is not adhered to. Defense Minister Israel Katz said, according to the Israeli news site “ynet”, that the agreement requires the disarmament of Hamas and the handover of all hostages, living and dead. If the terrorist organization refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel will resume fighting. He had instructed the military to develop a comprehensive plan in this case.

Hamas handed over two more bodies that evening and, according to its own statement, handed over all the remains of hostages that it could reach. The Israeli army confirmed the morning after completing the identification process that the two most recently handed over bodies were those of slain hostages, a woman and a man. According to the agreement, Hamas must hand over a total of 28 hostage bodies. So far she has handed over ten bodies. According to Israeli forensic findings, one of them is not the remains of a hostage.

A Hamas statement said: “As for the remaining bodies, their recovery will require extraordinary efforts and special equipment.” Great efforts are being made to complete the matter. Israel’s army said: “Hamas is obliged to abide by the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all hostages.”

However, the terrorist organization said it had fulfilled its obligations under the ceasefire agreement. The Islamists had already released the last 20 living hostages in the Gaza Strip on Monday. The first phase of the ceasefire initiated by US President Donald Trump provides for the release and handover of all hostages, living and dead.

Israel rejects Hamas’s statement that it has now handed over all the dead hostages it can reach, according to Israeli news site Ynet. According to Israel’s information, Hamas has access to at least ten more dead hostages. However, the US does not believe Hamas is violating its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, according to two senior US advisers. It was said that Hamas had assured through intermediaries that it would do everything in its power to find the remaining bodies.

According to CDU security politician Roderich Kiesewetter, the handover of all hostages and disarmament of Hamas are essential for the full implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan. “Hamas has still not released all of the murdered hostages and as long as this is not the case, the further steps in Trump’s peace plan cannot be carried out,” said Kieswetter in an interview with the “Jüdische Allgemeine”. The disarmament of Hamas in particular will prove to be “absolutely necessary, but difficult,” said the CDU politician.

Many hostage bodies could be buried under the ruins of bombed-out buildings or in tunnel shafts. “This is a very complicated situation,” said a senior US adviser. “I can tell you that we will not leave here until all (hostages) come home.”

Both Israeli and US officials fear that far-right ministers in Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will use the issue of the return of the dead hostages to undermine the ceasefire agreement and push for a resumption of the war, according to US news site Axios. “We cannot allow the agreement to fail,” a US government official was quoted as saying.

US broadcaster CNN quoted US President Donald Trump as saying he would consider allowing Israel to resume fighting if Hamas refuses to keep its end of the agreement. Israel’s army could get going again “as soon as I give the word,” Trump said in a short telephone conversation.

Israel told the Trump administration, according to Axios, that it was committed to moving to the second phase of the deal, which requires Hamas to disarm and relinquish power and Israel’s army to further withdraw from the Gaza Strip. However, government officials emphasized that the transition to the second phase would be faster if the bodies were returned quickly. According to Trump, negotiations are already underway on further points in his plan to end the Gaza war.

A senior US adviser admitted that implementing the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip will be a very difficult task. “We are currently in the process of finding a way to achieve this goal without making anyone feel unsafe,” it said. “It’s unrealistic to think that everyone will just walk in, put down their weapons and say, ‘Here you go.'” Many people – even on the Hamas side – fear reprisals from other people in Gaza. “So it’s a very complex dynamic,” said the US government adviser.

The United States is working with Israel to establish a security zone within the areas of the Gaza Strip still controlled by the Israeli army into which Palestinian civilians who fear retaliation from Hamas can flee. The initiative comes in response to reports of executions by Hamas. Trump commented on this on Tuesday by saying that Hamas had cracked down on “very, very bad gangs.” In a phone call with CNN, he said he would check whether innocent Palestinians were killed.

According to Trump’s 20-point plan, a technocrat government would have to be formed in a second phase to rebuild the Gaza Strip. According to the plan, Hamas would not be involved but would be disarmed. An international peacekeeping force (ISF) would provide security in Gaza. But all of this will take a long time to negotiate. The senior US adviser said many countries – including Indonesia – had offered to participate in the ISF. However, according to the Times of Israel, it is unclear whether any of these countries have actually agreed to send their own troops to Gaza.