Massive destruction across the Gaza Strip has made it nearly impossible for Hamas to locate and recover the bodies of remaining Israeli hostages buried under debris. On Saturday, an Egyptian convoy carrying excavators and bulldozers entered Gaza to assist in the recovery mission.
Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israel agreed to return 15 bodies of Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli body recovered. Israel has returned 195 Palestinian bodies, while Hamas has handed over 18 Israeli bodies so far. Earlier this month, Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “watching very closely” to ensure all bodies are returned within 48 hours. “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Hamas Expands Search Efforts Amid Severe Ruins
For the past five days, Hamas has failed to recover any additional bodies due to the immense destruction across Gaza. A Hamas negotiator told Egyptian media that many corpses remain buried deep beneath collapsed structures and require specialized equipment to retrieve.
On Sunday, Hamas expanded its search to new areas in the Gaza Strip to locate the remaining 13 Israeli bodies, according to Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya. The Egyptian convoy’s heavy machinery aims to clear rubble and enable access to sites believed to contain hostages’ remains.
Last week, a Turkish convoy arrived in southern Gaza to remove debris in Khan Younis. The municipality estimated nearly 800 tonnes of rubble accumulated after Israeli bombings destroyed much of the city’s infrastructure.
Israeli Strike Hits Refugee Camp Despite Ceasefire
Israeli forces launched another airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, injuring at least four people, officials at Awda Hospital confirmed. It was Israel’s second attack on the camp in one week.
The Israeli military claimed it targeted Islamic Jihad militants allegedly preparing to strike Israeli troops, though the group denied planning any attack. Hamas condemned the strike as a direct breach of the ceasefire and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining the truce.
Netanyahu defended the operation, saying, “We thwart threats before they are carried out, as we did yesterday in Gaza.” He made the remarks during his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, reaffirming Israel’s stance on preemptive defense measures.
