Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem has claimed that there is “very great complexity” in returning the bodies of deceased hostages to Israel.
In an interview with the Qatari Al Araby news channel, Qassem claimed, “There are very great complexities in the matter of the hostages’ bodies. Israel has destroyed homes, there are entire areas in the Gaza Strip which were completely erased. As a result, you cannot easily reach the bodies of all the hostages there.”
Earlier this month, Hamas claimed it would “take months” to find all the bodies of deceased hostages.
Shortly afterwards, it was reported that the terror group began the task of locating the bodies.
One of the bodies still held by Hamas is that of fallen and kidnapped IDF soldier Hadar Goldin. Hadar was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014; his body has still not been returned to Israel. The IDF recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a second soldier killed during the same operation, was recovered earlier this year.
In a statement earlier this week, his parents Leah and Simcha stated: “This war was born 11 years ago, when it was decided to leave hostages behind in Gaza. Our Hadar symbolizes determination for a true victory, and until he is brought home, we are still at war. Israel has 28 deceased hostages without a solution, and we are standing guard. We call on the Israeli government to bring in search teams and bring everyone back before Hamas receives anything in exchange.”