Hamas says return of Israeli hostages’ bodies may take time
Hamas claims the return of Israeli hostages’ bodies will take time, saying some are buried in destroyed tunnels and others under bombed buildings.
Hamas claimed on Thursday that the return of Israeli hostages’ bodies may take time, as some were buried in tunnels destroyed by Israel, and others remain under the rubble of buildings that Israel bombed and destroyed, adding that the group remained committed to the Gaza agreement and keen to hand over all the remaining bodies of the hostages held in Gaza.
The retrieval of the remaining bodies required equipment to remove rubble, which was currently unavailable due to Israel’s ban on entry of such tools, Hamas added.
Israel will continue refusing to allow a Turkish delegation of 81 rescue personnel and heavy equipment to enter the Gaza Strip until Hamas returns all the remains of deceased hostages that it can, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
Hamas terrorists and Gazan civilians congregate in Jabalya, northern Gaza Strip. January 30, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED SALEM)
‘Group of hostages’ bodies that Hamas can return right now’
“There is a group of hostages’ bodies that Hamas can return right now [and] another group they know the location of, but they need equipment and assistance to retrieve them,” another source said. “And there are some bodies they genuinely do not know where they are.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Thursday: “We know for certain that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of that agreement.”
Amichai Stein contributed to this article.
