Key Points
- Israel received a body that Hamas says belongs to one of the last two deceased hostages in Gaza.
- Returning the final hostage bodies is a key condition of the first phase of the plan to end the Gaza war.
- Hamas and Israel have both traded blame for violating the US-backed agreement.
Since the October ceasefire, Israel has maintained the closure of the crossing, insisting that Hamas fulfills the terms of the agreement by returning all hostages from Gaza, both alive and deceased.
The Gaza health ministry reports that Israeli forces have killed 357 Palestinians during the first 50 days of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities state that Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers in this period.
In northern Gaza, the Al Quds Brigades, the armed faction linked to the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Islamic Jihad, announced the discovery of a hostage’s body. This search was carried out alongside a Red Cross team.
According to Bedrosian, the decision to open the crossing for those wishing to exit Gaza was reached through “full coordination” with the mediators between Israel and Hamas during the conflict.
The decision to open the crossing for those seeking to leave Gaza was made in “full coordination” with those who have mediated between Israel and Hamas during the war, Bedrosian said.
