Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he was determined to secure the return of the bodies of all hostages held by Hamas, a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened a resumption of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
Israel accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement under which it was obliged to hand over all hostages held in Gaza, alive and dead, within 72 hours of the agreement coming into force, i.e. by 12:00 on Monday at the latest.
The Forum of Families of Israeli Hostages calls on the Israeli government to delay the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza until Hamas hands over the bodies of the last 19 hostages.
In a statement issued today, the Forum demands that "the government immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues to openly violate its obligations to return all hostages and the remains of the victims.
" Hamas released 20 live hostages within the deadline, but has only handed over 9 bodies out of the 28 it is holding.
"We are determined to achieve the return of all hostages," Netanyahu said during the official ceremony for the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack.
"The battle is not over yet, but one thing is clear: Whoever raises his hand against us knows that he will pay a very heavy price," he said. "If Hamas refuses to respect the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the US, will resume the fighting and ensure the complete defeat" of Hamas, the Israeli Defense Minister warned yesterday.
Hamas had previously announced that it had returned the bodies of the hostages it had access to in Gaza and that it needed "special equipment" to recover the rest. "They're digging..." When asked about Hamas's compliance with the agreement, Donald Trump said yesterday that Hamas was "digging" to find bodies. "They're digging. They're finding a lot of bodies".
"Some of these bodies have been there for a long time and some are under the rubble. They have to clear the rubble. Some are in tunnels". On Sunday, Israeli government spokesman Shos Bedrosian said that an "international organization" called in under the deal would help "identify the dead hostages if they are not found and handed over by Monday."
In exchange for the return of the hostages' remains, Israel handed over dozens of Palestinian bodies to Gaza. A senior Hamas official accused Israel on Sunday of violating the ceasefire, after at least 24 people were killed by Israeli fire in the enclave since Friday. "The occupying power is working day and night to undermine the deal through violations on the ground," he said. The Israeli military has not responded to the accusations. He has said that some Palestinians ignored warnings not to approach army positions and that his forces "opened fire to neutralize the threat."
The ceasefire agreement initially calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from areas of Gaza, and the transfer of more humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. The agreement also calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas and the amnesty or exile of its fighters, as well as the continuation of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
These points are under discussion. Israel is obliged to open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt for humanitarian aid once the ceasefire is implemented and the hostages are released.
Israeli authorities said today that the date for the opening of the Rafah crossing will be announced later and that the opening will concern "the movement of persons only". "Completely free access"
"We want all crossing points to be open and access to be completely free," said Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, who will visit the Rafah crossing today. Tom Fletcher said that thousands of trucks carrying humanitarian aid must enter the Gaza Strip every week to address the humanitarian crisis.
Only 600 trucks have been allowed to enter Gaza
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