Severe destruction across the Gaza Strip has made it difficult for Hamas to locate and recover the bodies of remaining Israeli hostages buried under rubble. On Saturday, an Egyptian convoy carrying bulldozers and excavators entered Gaza to assist with recovery operations.
Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel agreed to return 15 bodies of imprisoned Palestinians for every Israeli hostage’s body recovered. So far, Israel has handed back 195 Palestinian bodies, while Hamas has returned 18 Israeli bodies. 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 can be recovered now, and for some reason, they are not,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Hamas Expands Search as Rubble Slows Progress
In the past five days, Hamas has failed to recover or return any additional bodies due to the widespread devastation. The group’s negotiator said many corpses remain buried deep underground 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. Last week, a Turkish convoy entered Gaza to remove rubble in Khan Younis, where the municipality estimates around 800 tonnes of debris have piled up after months of Israeli airstrikes.
Efforts to clear the rubble continue amid worsening humanitarian conditions, with limited access to machinery, fuel, and safe zones for workers.
Israel Launches New Airstrike on Nuseirat Refugee Camp
Israeli forces struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, wounding at least four people, according to Awda Hospital officials. It marked the second Israeli attack on the camp in one week.
The Israeli military said it targeted Islamic Jihad militants who were allegedly planning an assault on Israeli troops. The group denied preparing any attack. Hamas condemned the airstrike as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to undermine ongoing peace efforts.
Netanyahu defended the action during his weekly Cabinet meeting, saying, “We thwart threats as they form, before they are carried out, as we did yesterday in Gaza.”
