Hamas says returning all Israeli captives’ bodies will take time

ISTANBUL

Hamas on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement with Israel and said it is working to hand over all remaining bodies of Israeli captives, though the process “will take some time.”

“We confirm our commitment to the agreement and our keenness to implement it, including the delivery of all remaining bodies of the Israeli captives,” the Palestinian group said in a statement on Telegram.

The first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, based on a plan by US President Donald Trump to halt the war in Gaza, took effect on Oct. 10.

Under the deal, Hamas freed 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the bodies of 10 others out of 28, most of whom were Israelis.

In return, Israel released 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,718 detainees who were arrested in Gaza after Oct. 8, 2023. More than 10,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israel.

Hamas said recovering the remaining bodies may take time, as “some were buried in tunnels destroyed by the occupation, while others remain under the rubble of buildings bombed and demolished.”

“The same Nazi occupation army that killed these captives is the one responsible for burying them under the debris,” the group added, noting it had already handed over all bodies it was able to reach.

The group stressed that it needs heavy equipment and devices to lift debris but said these are “currently unavailable due to the occupation’s ban on their entry.”

Hamas held the Israeli government responsible for the delay, accusing it of “obstructing and preventing the provision of necessary means for recovery.”

It also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “stalling and failing to meet his commitments,” saying his threats to delay the reopening of the Rafah crossing and to restrict humanitarian aid reflect his “fascist government’s approach of punishing Gaza’s civilians and exploiting the humanitarian file for political gain.”