Hamas says all reachable hostage bodies sent back
What's the story
Hamas has announced that it has returned the bodies of all Israeli hostages that it could access. The announcement comes amid threats from Israel to resume military operations if the terms of the ceasefire agreement aren't honored. The group had previously returned the remains of seven deceased hostages and two more bodies on Wednesday, along with an eighth body that Israel said was not a former hostage.
Tensions escalate
Israel threatens to resume fighting if Hamas doesn't comply
Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned that if Hamas doesn't comply with the ceasefire agreement, Israel will "resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas." US President Donald Trump also hinted at backing Israeli forces if Hamas fails to disarm. "Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they'd do that," Trump was quoted as saying to CNN.
Advisers
Bodies have been pulverized
After Katz's threat, senior US aides told the media on Wednesday that Hamas intended to keep its promise to release the bodies. They said retrieving the bodies from Gaza was difficult because it had been "pulverized," adding, "There was a lot of disappointment and outrage when only four bodies were returned, and they could have just said, you know, we're moving on...But they returned bodies the next day and then the next day, as quickly as we give them intelligence."
Ongoing negotiations
Ceasefire deal requires Israel to return Palestinian bodies as well
The ceasefire deal also requires Israel to return 360 Palestinian bodies. Israel has returned 90 bodies so far, with many showing signs of torture and execution, according to doctors' accounts. "Almost all of them had been blindfolded...bound up and they had gunshots between the eyes," The Guardian quoted Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, the head of the Nasser hospital's pediatric department in Khan Younis. The next phase of the truce calls for Hamas to disarm and cede power, which it has refused.