The handover of Israeli hostage bodies held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip has become mired in complications, mainly over the locations where the captives were lost during their detention.
Several hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to medical examinations conducted by Israel’s Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, which confirmed the cause of death after testing one of the bodies returned in recent days. Others were kidnapped with critical injuries and later died, while some were abducted already dead.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said late Wednesday it had handed over all bodies whose burial sites were known. Israel, however, disputed the claim, saying the group knows the locations of additional bodies.
Sources from Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Qassam leadership had delivered the remains it held in certain areas, while others still require an extensive search operation in sites where they may have been buried.
According to the sources, some Palestinian factions had already transferred to the Qassam Brigades the bodies they had been holding, and those were subsequently handed over to Israel.
Explaining why the locations of other bodies remain unknown, the sources said all captives’ whereabouts were initially known to the relevant units within the Qassam Brigades, with regional commanders fully aware of their status.
But the assassinations of key figures responsible for guarding living hostages and remains have complicated technical efforts. Several field commanders overseeing the captives’ protection were killed in recent Israeli strikes before the war ended, the sources said.
They added that while many remains were buried in specific, known locations, Israeli incursions and bulldozing of certain areas had made recovery difficult, as graves were destroyed or mixed with other bodies in makeshift burial sites opened during intense fighting.
The sources said entire residential blocks where Israeli hostages were held were bombed, killing both captives and their guards. The locations of their bodies remain unknown and require heavy equipment to remove rubble and identify remains, a task beyond the capacity of any Palestinian group. That, the sources said, prompted the formation of a joint Turkish-Egyptian-Qatari committee to help locate and identify the bodies once found.
Those responsible for the hostages’ safety - both living and dead - tried to preserve them under a specific protocol, the sources said. But battlefield conditions overwhelmed any organized effort after Israel resumed its offensive on March 18.
The Financial Times reported Thursday that Israel had allowed Turkish rescue workers to enter Gaza to help recover the bodies of Israeli hostages. The paper quoted sources as saying the move was approved despite long-standing tensions between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Ankara will send rescue teams to assist in emergency operations, including searches for the remains of Israeli captives, the paper said.
The development came as Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to recovering the remains of all captives held by Hamas, a day after his defense minister threatened to resume the assault on Gaza.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates the return of all hostages - living and dead - within 72 hours of the truce taking effect, by Monday noon.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Thursday urged the Israeli government to delay further phases of the deal with Hamas unless the group hands over the remaining 19 bodies.
The group said the government must immediately halt implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues its blatant violation of its commitments regarding the return of all hostages and victims’ bodies.
Under the deal, Hamas released 20 living hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails but handed over only nine of the 28 bodies of captives who died in custody.
Marking the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Netanyahu said: “The struggle is not over, but one thing is clear today: Anyone who raises a hand against us already knows he will pay a very heavy price for his aggression.”
Netanyahu said Israel was “committed to bringing back every last” hostage.
