For the third consecutive day, Hamas has not returned any hostages to Israel, even though Israeli officials believe the group could hand over at least eight more bodies.
On Friday morning, police were instructed to prepare for the possible return of two bodies later in the day, but as of evening, there were no clear signs that Hamas intended to proceed.
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A Hamas terrorists near a Red Cross vehicle in past hostage hand over
(Photo: AP/ Yousef Al Zanoun)
“We’re seeing signs of effort from all sides to locate the bodies, including from Hamas,” senior Israeli officials told Ynet on Friday. “So far, we haven’t received any notification that bodies will be returned tonight, nor any indication of that, but perhaps there will be a surprise. At this stage, we continue to believe that with the right effort from everyone, all of them can be brought back.”
Amid growing anxiety among the hostages’ families, who fear that once the war ends and the living captives are freed their deceased loved ones will be forgotten, a senior Israeli official told Ynet earlier that Hamas could return eight more dead hostages, while the whereabouts of five others remain unknown. “They’re playing games and stalling to extend the cease-fire without moving to the next phase, which requires them to disarm,” the official said.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas returned the bodies of hostages Arie (Zalman) Zalmanowicz and Tamir Adar to Israel. Thirteen bodies remain in captivity, out of the 28 held when the agreement began.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the American command center in Kiryat Gat on Friday afternoon, saying Washington was pushing for all the hostages’ remains to be returned and expected both sides to honor their commitments to prevent the collapse of the deal. “The bodies will be returned,” Rubio said. “If not, the agreement will fall apart — but it will happen.”
President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials who have visited in recent weeks have repeated similar assurances. Yet the international task force charged with locating the bodies has still not begun operating on the ground.
An Israeli official told Ynet that “Israel is pounding the table over the issue of the fallen, and the Americans understand us. Among the bodies are also two U.S. citizens — Capt. Omer Neutra and Sgt. Itay Chen.”
Israel argues that Hamas’s gradual release of the bodies constitutes a violation of the agreement. While both sides knew that recovering remains from under Gaza’s rubble would be complex, Israeli officials insist that the terror group could have returned more bodies by now.
Hamas, for its part, claims the delays are purely logistical and that it needs heavy machinery to locate some of the bodies.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also weighed in Friday, saying Hamas is adhering to the agreement while Israel is violating it through its attacks. “The United States must pressure Israel to comply,” Erdogan said. “Israel should be forced to do so through sanctions and a halt to arms sales.”
He added, “We are making the necessary preparations for Gaza’s reconstruction. Diplomatic pressure on Israel must continue. The details regarding the stabilization force that will operate in Gaza are still unclear, and discussions are ongoing.”