US President Donald Trump has called on Hamas to release all of their dead hostages. He argues that the release of hostages should be included in the first stage of any ceasefire agreement. The announcement comes at a pivotal time during negotiations in Egypt, where negotiators are continuing to discuss terms for expanding the terms of the ceasefire. The politics are pretty bad. Israeli authorities are tired of the returns dragging on and this has affected aid going into Gaza.
Hamas is likely to release more dead captives in the near term. Only eight of the 28 dead hostages held in Gaza have been returned so far. Hamas continues to retain the remains of 21 hostages in Gaza. Israel estimates Hamas will have a hard time locating all the remains. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that the returns may take weeks, complicating a fragile situation even more.
Israeli security officials have urged that the political echelon impose tighter restrictions on humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Instead they have proposed keeping the Rafah crossing closed or transferring less of the promised aid until more bodies are returned. This decision somewhat acknowledges increased frustration with the current pace of returning hostages’ remains.
Following the identification process conducted by the National Center for Forensic Medicine, the Israeli government named three individuals: Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levi. Five days later, Hamas returned four bodies. At least one of them has not yet been confirmed as belonging to an Israeli hostage. While unproven, early reports indicate that one of the identified remains is indeed a Palestinian from Gaza.
Adding to the already tense atmosphere, Israel informed the United Nations that it would allow only 300 aid trucks into Gaza starting Wednesday—half the previously agreed number. This significant reduction underscores Israel’s strategic calculation in maximizing pressure on Hamas, meanwhile walking the tightrope of an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
President Trump expressed a firm stance on disarming Hamas, stating, “I don’t have to explain that to you, if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. They know I’m not playing games.” His statements reflect a unyielding drive to hold Hamas’ feet to the fire so as to return hostages and keep the peace in the area.
“The job is not done.” – US President Donald Trump
Israeli sources remain hopeful for further progress, stating, “we hope for the release of additional bodies later today.” As negotiations continue, tensions are flaring. Both sides are under significant pressure to reach an agreement that addresses humanitarian issues while ensuring consequences for the actions taken by all parties throughout the war.
