Hamas returns more bodies of Israeli hostages
Hamas returned the remains of four more hostages to Israel on Tuesday night after US President Donald Trump urged the Palestinian armed group to finalize the prisoner-swap deal.
The bodies were transferred from Gaza via the Red Cross and are on their way for identification at the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Hamas has thus far handed over the remains of eight of the 28 deceased hostages.
As part of the deal brokered by the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye, Hamas freed the last 20 remaining living hostages on Monday in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The IDF stressed that the militants must implement the agreement in full. “We will not rest until all return to their families and to burial in Israel,” IDF spokesman Effie Defrin said.
Trump urged Hamas to return all of the bodies, writing on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, “THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED!” He announced that “phase two” of his peace plan would begin soon.
Palestinian refugees and Hamas fighters began returning to Gaza City and other areas after the partial withdrawal of the IDF earlier this month. Sporadic skirmishes between Hamas and rival factions have since been reported in the enclave.
