Hamas Plans to Return Additional Hostage Bodies Amid Intensifying Israeli Strikes

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Hamas says it will hand over the bodies of a further three hostages as the Palestinian militant group trades blame with Israel for violations of a tenuous truce that has mostly halted two years of Israeli bombardment.

Israel is seeking the bodies of 11 hostages from the Gaza Strip and has said Hamas has been too slow in delivering them.

Hamas says it is working as quickly as possible to recover scattered human remains under difficult conditions.

Since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, tensions have simmered as both sides navigate its fragile terms. This agreement, however, is yet to be fully realized due to ongoing disputes, particularly involving allegations of violations.

Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli air strike killed one man in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military alleges its aircraft had struck a militant who it claims was posing a threat to its forces.

Al-Ahli Hospital said one man was killed in the air strike near a vegetable market in the Shejaia suburb of Gaza City.

“There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Hamas has publicly accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire by releasing a detailed list of alleged infractions. Despite these tensions, a significant agreement was reached where Hamas consented to exchange the remains of 28 hostages for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who perished during the conflict. To date, they have handed over 17 bodies.

Ismail al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip government media office, denied that Hamas fighters had violated the truce by attacking Israeli soldiers.

The ceasefire has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in the strip.

Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities and more aid has been allowed in.

Hamas released all 20 living hostages held in the Gaza Strip in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees held, often without charge or trial, by Israel.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire has brought a glimmer of normalcy back to the lives of Palestinians. With the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas of the Gaza Strip, residents have slowly begun to resume their daily routines, inching towards a semblance of peace.

Palestinians have gradually resumed parts of their daily lives with the ceasefire in place and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from some areas of the Gaza Strip. Source: Getty / Anadolu

It has turned over 17 so far.

However, violence has not completely halted.

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 236 people in strikes across the enclave since the truce, nearly half of them in a single day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.

Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed and it has targeted a large number of alleged Hamas fighters.

The ceasefire was mediated by the United States, and both sides have appealed to it to halt violations.

The US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, met on Saturday with Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir during a visit to the region to discuss the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

Netanyahu said any Israeli action in the enclave is reported to the US.

Hamas said the US was not doing enough to ensure Israel abides by the ceasefire agreement.

About 200 US troops have set up base in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and help make plans for an international force to stabilise the enclave, as foreseen in later phases of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

There has been little sign of progress on the next stages so far and major obstacles still lie ahead, including the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.