Hamas Returns Remains of Israeli Hostage from Gaza: Latest Developments in Ongoing Conflict

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Hamas has handed over the body of another Israeli hostage, the militant group and Israeli military have confirmed.

It comes amid an ongoing dispute about the delay in the handover of the remains of hostages by Hamas.

Israel says it has received nine of 28 bodies held in Gaza, and Hamas, citing technical problems, said it needed heavy machinery and excavating equipment to speed up the process of locating bodies buried under rubble.

Israel has stated that Hamas is aware of the locations of the hostages’ bodies and warned that time was running out for the group to act.

Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement and to handing over the bodies of all remaining hostages.

In a statement on Friday, Hamas’s armed wing said a new body had been recovered and would be released at 11pm local time.

The Israeli military confirmed that the transfer of the bodies took place at approximately 1 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Saturday AEDT).

“Will Israel use Hamas’s inability to retrieve bodies from beneath the rubble as a reason to disrupt the ceasefire? This issue is causing concern within the international community,” a source stated.

The issue has cast a shadow over the ceasefire agreement — the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war.

At a news conference in Ankara, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Israel’s statements were worrying.

On Friday, teams from the Red Cross and Palestinian rescue workers were engaged in efforts to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, Gaza. Source: Anadolu, Getty / Hani Alshaer

An excavator digs up dirt among rubble and as a crowd of Palestinians watch on

Earlier on Friday, Hamas urged mediators to facilitate the next phases of the ceasefire agreement. These include reopening the border, allowing aid to enter, initiating reconstruction, establishing an administration, and ensuring Israel’s withdrawal is completed.

The 20 living hostages taken with others in the October 7 attack on Israel were returned from Gaza earlier this week.

Israel on Thursday said it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to allow Palestinians to move in and out, but gave no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of the ceasefire.

Other unresolved elements of the plan include the disarmament of militants and Gaza’s future governance.