Hamas hands over two bodies after Israel resumes attacks on Gaza

A day after a string of deadly Israeli strikes across the besieged enclave destroyed the fragile Gaza ceasefire, Hamas claims that Hamas has handed over two bodies that it claims were of deceased Israeli prisoners.

The two bodies had been received by Israeli forces via the Red Cross in Gaza, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday, according to a statement released by the organization. They would then be transported into Israel for identification.

In exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2, 000 Palestinian political prisoners, Hamas released 20 living prisoners under the US-brokered agreement to end Israel’s two-year occupation of Gaza. Additionally, Israeli forces have partially withdrawn from Gaza’s urban centers.

However, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the area since the ceasefire started on October 10. 104 people were killed in Israeli attacks, including 20 women and 46 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry from Tuesday through Wednesday.

In exchange for the bodies of Palestinians killed in the war, Hamas agreed to release the remains of all 28 captives. It claimed on Thursday that it had collected 15 sets of remains and that it is still pressing for proper equipment and support to comb through the dense rubble and debris where thousands of Palestinians who were killed in Israeli airstrikes are still buried.

Israel contends that Hamas has returned the bodies of Israeli prisoners who are still being held in Gaza too slowly.

According to Tareq Abu Azzoum, a reporter for Al Jazeera from az-Zuwayda in central Gaza, Hamas is still dealing with “logistical and operational difficulties regarding the retrieval of the bodies, particularly in areas that have been impacted by the Israeli bombardment.”

“Hamas has been calling for the use of heavy bulldozers and machines to speed up the recovery of bodies. However, Israel is still accusing Hamas of purposefully putting off the bodies’ release, according to Abu Azzoum.

One of the issues preventing US President Donald Trump from ending the war for good has been the recovery and handover of bodies.

The future administration of Gaza and Hamas’ need to disarm are two major challenges that remain.

“Essential role of NGOs”

Before dawn, witnesses claimed tanks shelled areas east of Gaza City in the north and Israeli planes carried out 10 air strikes in areas east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the areas of Gaza where its forces are still present, the Israeli military claimed to have carried out “precise” strikes against “terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to the troops.”

A UN official called for the aid’s distribution to be made available to NGOs in the meantime, noting that more than 24 000 tonnes of UN aid have already arrived in Gaza since the ceasefire’s start.

Humanitarians continue to face funding shortfalls as well as coordination issues with Israeli authorities, which are still securing crucial border crossings, according to the UN. Aid volumes have increased significantly since the ceasefire.

In the 20 days following the ceasefire, the Middle East Regional Director of the World Food Programme, Samer Abdel Jaber, reported that they had “collected about 20 000 metric tons of food inside Gaza.”

The main focus and prerequisite for us to be able to provide humanitarian assistance in a holistic manner is still the implementation of the 20-point [ceasefire] plan, according to Alakbarov.

He demanded that Israel grant permission for more NGOs to distribute aid to Gaza, which Israel has prohibited.

“The persistent issue with NGOs’ registration continues to be a bottleneck.” We have raised the priority of national NGOs’ involvement in humanitarian operations in Gaza, and we continue to emphasize this,” he said.

The majority of Gaza’s more than two million people have been displaced by Israel’s assault several times. The majority of residents of their devastated neighborhoods have not yet returned, fearing that Israeli forces may soon retake control of their neighborhoods.

On Thursday, the Israeli army demolished homes east of the Tuffah and Shujayea neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City, according to sources.

As part of what residents describe as a coordinated campaign to clear large swaths of residential blocks, Israel has been demolishing homes since the beginning of its renewed ground incursion in the area earlier this month.

Source: Aljazeera