Egypt along with International Committee of the Red Cross Join Search for Hostage Bodies in Gaza Strip
Teams from Egyptian authorities and the ICRC have been authorized to locate the remains of deceased hostages taken during the October 7th incidents, Israeli authorities have verified.
The Israeli government stated that the teams have been permitted to operate past the referred to as "yellow line" in the area under the control of military personnel in the Gaza territory.
Hamas has handed over 15 out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages under the first phase of a US-brokered truce agreement, which mandates it to hand over all hostage bodies. The organization said it is now coordinating with Egyptian authorities.
The former US president has cautions the organization to start return the remains "promptly, or the additional nations involved in this great peace will intervene".
An Israeli spokesperson indicated the Egyptian team has been authorized to collaborate with the Red Cross to find the bodies, and would use excavator machines and vehicles for the operation past the "yellow line".
The "demarcation line" indicates the boundary running along the north, south and eastern of Gaza that Israel withdrew to, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal.
Until now, Israeli authorities has not approved the access of these crews.
Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, is a key signatory of the Trump-brokered Gaza peace plan, which was signed in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in recent weeks.
The news will be welcomed by relatives, eager to give them a proper burial.
The ICRC has already been deeply engaged in the return of captives.
The organization does not transfer its detainees - alive or deceased - directly to the IDF, but rather to the Red Cross, which in turn accompanies them through the territory and hands them on to the IDF.
But the entry of Egyptian excavation teams inside the Gaza territory is new.
After more than two years of heavy shelling by Israel, the UN estimates that as much as 84% of the area has been destroyed completely.
The group says it is making every effort to retrieve hostage bodies, but it encounters challenges locating them under rubble of buildings destroyed by the IDF in Gaza.
It is now coordinating with the officials in Egypt.
On the weekend, an official representative stated that the organization knew where the bodies were.
"If the group made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our captives," the representative said.
Trump shared on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that measures would be implemented if the remains of the hostages who died were not returned quickly.
"A portion of the bodies are difficult to access, but the rest they can return at present and, for unknown reasons, they are not. Maybe it has to do with their disarming," he remarked.
He continued: "Let's see what they accomplish over the next 48 hours. I am monitoring the situation with great attention."
- Gaza minors losing their lives as they wait for Israel to permit evacuations
- The US Secretary of State states lots of countries willing to participate in the region's security force
- New images reveal Israeli control line deeper into the territory than anticipated
On the weekend, the Israeli leader announced Israel would determine which international troops it would allow as part of a proposed international force in Gaza to help secure the truce under the former president's initiative.
"We are in command of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding foreign troops that we will determine which units are not acceptable to us, and this is how we function and will continue to operate," he said talking at the beginning of a government session.
On the end of the week, the American diplomat said "a lot of countries" had offered to be involved in the force - but noted Israeli authorities would have to be comfortable with those taking part.
This seemed like a reference to the Turkish government, amid accounts Israeli officials had vetoed the nation's involvement.
It was still uncertain, however, how such a force could be stationed without an agreement with Hamas.
Israel launched a armed operation in the territory in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which militants associated with the group took the lives of about 1,200 people and took 251 others as hostages.
At least sixty-eight thousand five hundred nineteen have been lost their lives in military actions in Gaza since then, according to the area's Hamas-run health ministry.
