Hostage families confirm identities of three of four bodies handed over by Hamas

 Hostage families confirm identities of three of four bodies handed over by Hamas

Israeli hostage families have confirmed the identities of three of the four bodies handed over by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday.

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The Hostage Families Forum reported that the bodies of 20-year-old Tamir Nimrodi, 53-year-old Eitan Levy, and 35-year-old Uriel Baruch were among the latest repatriations. Israel said the fourth body did not match any known hostage.

So far, the bodies of seven hostages have been confirmed to have been returned from Gaza. Hamas has not yet returned the other bodies as agreed under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Frustrated by the slow return of bodies, Israel has threatened to further restrict humanitarian aid until the bodies of all 28 hostages are returned. Hamas says it is having difficulty locating the bodies.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on X that "Hamas must make all necessary efforts to secure the return of the dead hostages."

The delay in the return of the hostages' bodies—originally scheduled for Monday—has sparked anger in Israel.

On Tuesday, reports stated that Israel would reduce the amount of aid delivered to Gaza and would not reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, where 600 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies had accumulated.

Amid reports by Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday that the crossing in the south of the territory had reopened, Israel clarified that it would only be open for the entry and exit of Palestinians, not for the entry of aid.

An official from COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for aid in Gaza, said, "Humanitarian aid will not go through the Rafah crossing. There has been no such agreement at any level."

Israel's Defense Minister has warned the Palestinian armed group that "any delay or deliberate procrastination will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be dealt with accordingly."

According to Israeli media, the bodies of four more hostages are expected to be transferred from Gaza later on Wednesday.

Hamas returned all 20 living hostages on Monday. The Red Cross said in a statement that the remains of 45 dead Palestinians held hostage in Israel were returned to Gaza on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan, which was accepted by both Israel and Hamas, called for the handing over of all 48 hostages by Monday afternoon.

Palestinians are growing concerned that Hamas's delay in returning the bodies could create uncertainty about the future of the ceasefire.

A copy of the ceasefire agreement published by Israeli media last week acknowledged that Hamas and other Palestinian factions would not be able to locate all the bodies within the agreed deadline.

An Israeli official has suggested that an international task force will begin the task of locating the remains of all those who have not been returned.

"A huge burden has been lifted, but the work is not yet complete. The dead have not been brought back as promised! The second phase is just beginning!!!" Trump said on X.

Several Palestinians have told the BBC that they are concerned that Hamas's delay in returning the bodies of all Israeli hostages and any subsequent violence could jeopardize the ceasefire and derail the start of the second phase of talks.

Tayseer Abed, a well-known Gaza writer who chronicled the fighting from his tent in Khan Younis, described the standoff as "a dangerous test for the ceasefire" and warned that if delays continue and Israel continues to refuse to move to the next stage, "the issue of bodies could become the fuel for a new round of conflict."

Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released under a 20-point peace plan, which the US president described as an end to the two-year war.

A ceasefire took effect at 12:00 noon (09:00 GMT) on October 10, the first phase of Trump's plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS, the BBC's US affiliate, that he expected the next phase of talks between Israel and Hamas to be peaceful.

But he said Trump's conditions were "very clear" that Hamas must de-militarize or else "everything will get worse."

Netanyahu said, "First, Hamas has to give up its weapons. And second, you want to make sure there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There's no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That's what demilitarization is."

Trump also pressured Hamas to give up its weapons. The US President said, "They will disarm, because they said they would disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them."

Although the ceasefire has largely held, Palestinian Civil Defense told the BBC that seven people were killed by Israeli forces in two separate incidents in eastern Gaza and east of Khan Younis on Tuesday.

According to the Wafa news agency, five people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the eastern Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza. The agency quoted a medical source as saying, "Israeli drones fired on residents inspecting their homes." The Israeli military said it opened fire after people crossed the Yellow Line, where its troops have withdrawn under Trump's ceasefire plan.

Meanwhile, Hamas fighters demonstrated that they were regaining control of Gaza. Reports of masked gunmen publicly killing eight Palestinians have sparked fear and outrage among residents.

Although Hamas says its fighters are working to "restore security" and "end chaos," many fear the group is using this chaos to take revenge on rivals and silence critics.

Trump signed the declaration on Monday with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar—the main mediators—and Turkey, which played a key role in the final stages of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.

More than 20 world leaders, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron—attended the meeting, along with leaders from several Muslim and Arab countries. Netanyahu and Hamas abstained.

Under this plan, Gaza would initially be governed by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats under the supervision of a "peace board," and then, after reforms, power would eventually be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

But advancing the final stages of the plan will require difficult negotiations.

Points of contention include the extent and timeframe of Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas's disarmament, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has previously stated that it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established—and has rejected the idea of ​​foreign rule in Gaza.

The Israeli military launched an operation in Gaza on October 7, 2023, in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

According to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 67,869 people have been killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza since then.