ISTANBUL

Israel has allowed the Palestinian group Hamas to enter areas under the army’s control in Gaza to search for hostage remains, Israeli media reported on Monday.

Israeli Channel 12, citing security officers, said Hamas has been working in cooperation with the Red Cross and Egyptian teams for the past 24 hours to locate the remains of hostages in areas still occupied by the Israeli army beyond the “yellow line.”

The “yellow line” is an imaginary line separating areas currently occupied by the Israeli army in Gaza from those where it had pulled out.

The outlet said Israel and Hamas exchanged information on the estimated locations of the bodies through mediators over the weekend to accelerate the process.

Israel confirmed on Sunday that it had allowed Red Cross and Egyptian teams beyond the “yellow line” in Gaza to help in the search for hostage remains.

Under the first phase of a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 16 others. The remains of 12 hostages are still in the enclave.

The ceasefire plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has killed over 68,500 people and injured more than 170,300 others since October 2023, according to Palestinian authorities.