The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is under renewed strain as both sides accuse the other of violating the U.S.-brokered agreement. Israel continues to press for the return of the bodies of hostages still held in Gaza, while Hamas has accused the Israeli military of killing more than 20 civilians since the truce took effect last week.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has been facilitating exchanges under the deal, said Hamas handed over the bodies of two deceased Israeli hostages on Wednesday night.
As part of the agreement, Israel has also been returning the bodies of Palestinians taken from Gaza during the war. The Gaza Health Ministry said that 30 bodies were handed over on Thursday, bringing the total to 120.
The ministry claimed that some of the bodies showed signs of abuse and beating, adding that the identification process is ongoing. Similar allegations were made earlier in the week concerning the treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. TIME has reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces for comment.
The Israeli army identified the two returned hostages as Inbar Hayman, 27, and Sergeant Major Muhammad Al-Atresh, 39. Both were killed on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.
“Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial,” the IDF said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that stance, vowing on Thursday that Israel “will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused Hamas of violating the agreement, saying there was “no justification for any unilateral concessions by Israel” while the bodies of hostages remain in Gaza. “The agreement cannot continue to be implemented without Hamas returning all the hostages,” the group said.
Earlier this week, Israel warned it would restrict humanitarian aid to Gaza until progress was made on the recovery of hostages’ remains—a move condemned by senior U.N. officials, who said that food and medicine “cannot be used as a bargaining chip.”
President Donald Trump told CNN on Wednesday that Israeli forces could resume operations in Gaza “as soon as I say the word.”
“What’s going on with Hamas—that’ll be straightened out quickly,” he said.
So far, Hamas has released all 20 living hostages covered by the truce, but only nine of the 28 known dead. The group said it needs more time and equipment to locate additional remains amid the destruction in Gaza.
“The resistance has abided by what was agreed upon and has handed over all the living captives it had, as well as the bodies it was able to retrieve,” Hamas’ armed wing said. “As for the remaining bodies, locating and recovering them requires major efforts and special equipment, and we are exerting great effort to close this file.”
U.S. advisers on Wednesday have down played Israeli concerns, saying that Hamas appears to be acting in good faith regarding the deal, the BBC reported.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that since the beginning of the cease-fire, 23 Palestinians have been killed in the strip as a result of Israeli strikes. The Ministry added that a further 381 bodies have been recovered in Gaza since Oct. 11, with the total death toll now standing at over 67,900 as of Thursday since the start of the war.
Israel launched its invasion of Gaza following a Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies.
Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. The Israeli army’s own casualty figures suggest a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.
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