Egypt along with International Committee of the Red Cross Join Effort for Captive Bodies in Gaza

Egyptian equipment enters into the Gaza Strip
Egyptian equipment enters into the Gaza Strip

Units from Egypt and the ICRC have been authorized to locate the remains of deceased hostages taken during the October 7th incidents, Israeli authorities have verified.

The authorities in Israel stated that the teams have been permitted to operate past the so-called "demarcation line" in the area under the control of Israeli forces in Gaza.

The group has transferred fifteen out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages under the first phase of a American-mediated truce agreement, which requires it to hand over all hostage bodies. The organization stated it is now coordinating with Egyptian authorities.

The former US president has warned Hamas to begin returning the bodies "promptly, or the other countries participating in this significant peace will intervene".

An Israeli spokesperson said the Egyptian team has been authorized to work with the ICRC to locate the remains, and would use digging equipment and vehicles for the search beyond the "demarcation line".

The "demarcation line" indicates the border running along the north, southern and east of Gaza that Israel withdrew to, as part of the initial phase of the truce agreement.

Until now, Israel has not approved the entry of such teams.

The Egyptian government, along with Qatar and Turkish authorities, is a key signatory of the mediated by Trump Gaza peace plan, which was signed in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month.

The development will be welcomed by family members, eager to provide a proper burial.

Hostage situation in the region

The ICRC has already been heavily involved in the repatriation of captives.

Hamas does not hand over its detainees - alive or deceased - straight to the Israel Defense Forces, but rather to the ICRC, which in turn accompanies them through Gaza and transfers them to the IDF.

But the entry of digging crews from Egypt inside the Gaza Strip is a recent development.

After more than 24 months of intense bombardment by Israel, the United Nations estimates that as much as 84% of the area has been reduced to rubble.

The group says it is making every effort to retrieve hostage bodies, but it encounters challenges locating them under rubble of buildings bombed out by the Israeli military in Gaza.

It is now coordinating with the officials in Egypt.

On the weekend, an official representative stated that Hamas was aware of where the remains were.

"If Hamas put in greater work, they would be able to recover the bodies of our captives," the representative said.

Trump posted on his social media account on Saturday that measures would be implemented if the remains of the deceased hostages were not returned promptly.

"Some of the bodies are difficult to access, but the rest they can hand over at present and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their demilitarization," he remarked.

Trump continued: "We will observe what they accomplish over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely."

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On Sunday, the Israeli leader said the country would decide which foreign forces it would permit as part of a proposed multinational contingent in the region to help secure the ceasefire under Trump's plan.

"We are in command of our safety, and we have also made it clear regarding foreign troops that we will decide which units are unacceptable to us, and this is how we function and will continue to operate," he said speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting.

On Friday, the American diplomat said "a lot of nations" had volunteered to be part of the contingent - but noted Israel would have to be satisfied with participants.

This seemed like a allusion to Turkey, amid accounts Israel had rejected the country's involvement.

It was still uncertain, however, how such a force could be deployed without an agreement with the organization.

Israel launched a military campaign in the territory in following the incidents of October 7th, in which Hamas-led gunmen took the lives of about twelve hundred people and took 251 others as hostages.

At least 68,519 have been killed in military actions in Gaza from that time, according to the area's health authorities under the group's control.

Paul Smith
Paul Smith

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