Hamas hands over another body to Red Cross as Israeli strikes continue in Gaza
Palestinian militant group Hamas has handed over another body to employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.
According to Hamas, the remains are those of a hostage kidnapped from Israel. The Red Cross employees were on their way to representatives of the Israeli military with a coffin, the military said.
The identity must then be confirmed at a forensic institute in Tel Aviv.
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In both instances, the individuals approached soldiers “in a manner that posed a threat to them”, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated.
“Following their identification, IDF troops eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat.”
Both individuals reportedly crossed the so-called “yellow line” behind which the Israeli military has withdrawn as part of an agreed ceasefire.
Gazan health authorities said Israeli fire had also killed a Palestinian collecting firewood in central Gaza.
Despite near-daily violence, Israel and Hamas have continued to exchange bodies of the deceased under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10.
Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held in Israel.
Hamas also promised to turn over the remains of deceased hostages, but says the devastation in Gaza has made locating bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.
Hamas has so far returned 21 of the 28 bodies of hostages buried in Gaza. In return, Israel handed over 285 bodies of Palestinians killed since the war began in October 2023, Gaza health authorities said.
Israel has continued to intermittently strike the Gaza Strip, although the degree of violence has diminished since the ceasefire, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes and more aid to enter.
Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities to behind a yellow demarcation line.
The ceasefire was mediated by the United States, and both sides have appealed to Washington to halt violations.
With dpa
