Is the Gaza peace agreement already under threat? If Hamas released all the Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, the Islamist movement has only returned nine of the 28 remains of captives held in the Gaza Strip. Four were delivered to Israel on Monday night, three on Tuesday and two on Wednesday.
However, according to the ceasefire agreement concluded on the basis of US President Donald Trump’s plan, Hamas was to hand over all hostages still held in Gaza, dead and alive, within 72 hours of the cessation of hostilities, that is, no later than Monday.
Bodies “under the rubble”
Hamas claimed on Wednesday that it had handed over to Israel all the hostage remains it had been able to access, citing limitations in “extracting” the bodies. “We have fulfilled our commitment under the agreement by handing over all Israeli prisoners alive, as well as the bodies we were able to access,” the Islamist movement said in a statement cited by AFP.
“As for the remaining remains, their recovery and extraction requires considerable effort and special equipment,” he added.
The location and condition of the bodies, after two years of war, are the subject of great uncertainty. Asked about the issue, US President Donald Trump said that Hamas was “digging” and “finding a lot of bodies.” “Some of these bodies have been there for a long time, and others are under the rubble. They have to clear the rubble. Some are in the tunnels,” he added from the White House.
The Palestinian Islamist movement “continues to tell us that it intends to respect the agreement” and return the bodies of the deceased hostages, a senior US official told the press on Wednesday, quoted by AFP, on condition of anonymity.
Could it be that Hamas is buying time? “They are not necessarily interested in preserving the bodies, unless they have been buried in undignified conditions or retain traces of mistreatment, or even execution,” believes General Jérôme Pellistrandi, defense advisor for BFMTV.
A “very sensitive” topic
In any case, the blockade directly threatens the peace agreement. In a statement, the Hostage Families Forum demanded this Thursday that “the Government immediately cease the implementation of any additional steps of the agreement, while Hamas continues to openly violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of victims.”
“We are determined to recover all the hostages,” reaffirmed Benjamin Netanyahu during the official commemoration of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that his country “in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act for a total defeat” of Hamas if it does not respect its commitments.
“The issue of bodies is very delicate. It is far from being a detail of the peace agreement signed between Israel and Hamas,” emphasizes Jérôme Pellistrandi, who recalls that “in both the Jewish and Muslim religions, the body is sacred.”
While the Christian rite allows a deceased person to be buried a few days after his or her death, Jews and Muslims carry out the burial as quickly as possible, sometimes less than 24 hours after the person’s death. The body must also be returned intact to the earth, while the Catholic Church, for example, tolerates cremation.
Humanitarian aid stops
The issue of remains is also delaying the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, at a time when international organizations were just beginning to resume deliveries to the enclave after months of blockade.
On Tuesday, the UN announced in a statement that Israel would “limit the flow of aid to Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement.”
Currently, the Jewish state authorizes the delivery of humanitarian aid mainly through the Kerem Shalom crossing (south), but humanitarian organizations complain of administrative delays and security checks.
On Wednesday, Israeli public radio and television KAN presented as imminent the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, crucial for the flow of humanitarian aid expected from the Egyptian side. But until then it remained closed.
The United Nations urges Israel to “immediately” open all access to the Gaza Strip and reiterates that humanitarian aid should not be used as a “negotiating currency” between Israel and Hamas.
“We want this to happen now, within the framework of the ceasefire agreement,” said U.N. humanitarian official Tom Fletcher, emphasizing the “absolute urgency” of the situation and the need to “deliver aid on a large scale” to combat hunger and treat wounded and sick residents.
Source: BFM TV
