Israel announced on Monday that the Israeli military received the body of another deceased hostage from Gaza through the Red Cross, as stated by the Israeli prime minister’s office. This brings the total number of remaining hostages’ bodies in Gaza to 12, pending confirmation of the identity of the deceased individual. The search for these bodies has been hampered by challenges cited by the Palestinian militant group Hamas due to the destruction caused by the conflict.
The recovery and transfer of deceased hostages’ bodies in Gaza have posed challenges to the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. A spokesperson for the Israeli government mentioned that Hamas has knowledge of the locations of the bodies. To aid in the search efforts, Israel permitted an Egyptian technical team to collaborate with the Red Cross. The team will utilize excavators and trucks to search beyond the designated yellow line in Gaza, where Israeli troops had initially withdrawn under Trump’s plan.
