Egyptian authorities along with Red Cross Participate in Search for Captive Bodies in Gaza
Units from Egyptian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been authorized to search for the remains of hostages who perished captured during the 7 October attacks, officials in Israel have confirmed.
The Israeli government stated that the teams have been allowed to operate beyond the so-called "yellow line" in the area controlled by military personnel in the Gaza territory.
Hamas has transferred 15 out of twenty-eight deceased Israeli hostages under the initial stage of a American-mediated ceasefire deal, which mandates it to transfer all remains of captives. The group said it is now coordinating with officials in Egypt.
Donald Trump has warned Hamas to begin returning the remains "promptly, or the other countries participating in this significant peace will take action".
An Israeli spokesperson indicated the crew from Egypt has been permitted to collaborate with the Red Cross to locate the bodies, and would use excavator machines and trucks for the search past the "yellow line".
The "yellow line" marks the border running along the north, south and eastern of the Gaza territory that Israel pulled back to, as part of the initial phase of the truce agreement.
Previously, Israeli authorities has not authorized the access of such teams.
Egypt, along with Qatari officials and Turkish authorities, is a key signatory of the mediated by Trump Gaza peace plan, which was ratified in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in recent weeks.
The news will be greeted positively by family members, desperate to give them a proper burial.
The ICRC has already been deeply engaged in the return of captives.
The organization does not transfer its captives - living or deceased - directly to the Israel Defense Forces, but rather to the Red Cross, which in turn accompanies them through Gaza and hands them on to the IDF.
But the arrival of Egyptian excavation teams inside the Gaza territory is new.
After more than 24 months of heavy shelling by Israel, the UN estimates that as much as 84% of the territory has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas says it is making every effort to retrieve remains of captives, but it encounters challenges locating them under debris of buildings destroyed by the Israeli military in the region.
It is now coordinating with the officials in Egypt.
On the weekend, an Israeli government spokesperson stated that Hamas was aware of where the remains were.
"If the group put in greater work, they would be able to recover the remains of our hostages," the representative commented.
The former president shared on his social media account on Saturday that action would be implemented if the remains of the deceased hostages were not handed back promptly.
"A portion of the remains are difficult to access, but others they can return at present and, for unknown reasons, they are not. Maybe it has to do with their disarming," he remarked.
He continued: "Let's see what they do over the coming two days. I am watching this with great attention."
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On the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel would determine which international troops it would allow as part of a planned international force in the region to help maintain the truce under Trump's plan.
"We are in command of our safety, and we have also stated explicitly regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we function and will continue to operate," he said talking at the start of a cabinet meeting.
On the end of the week, the American diplomat said "numerous countries" had offered to be involved in the force - but noted Israel would have to be satisfied with participants.
This appeared to be a allusion to the Turkish government, amid reports Israel had rejected the country's involvement.
It was still uncertain, however, how such a force could be stationed without an agreement with the organization.
The Israeli military launched a armed operation in Gaza in response to the incidents of October 7th, in which militants associated with the group took the lives of about twelve hundred people and captured 251 additional persons as hostages.
At least 68,519 have been lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the region from that time, according to the area's Hamas-run health ministry.