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Why the Handover of Israeli Hostage Bodies in Gaza Stalled

Relatives and friends of Israeli soldier Mohammad Alatrash, a sergeant major in the Israeli military's Bedouin Trackers Unit who was killed in combat during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, carry his coffin during his funeral near Beersheba, on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
Relatives and friends of Israeli soldier Mohammad Alatrash, a sergeant major in the Israeli military's Bedouin Trackers Unit who was killed in combat during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, carry his coffin during his funeral near Beersheba, on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
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Why the Handover of Israeli Hostage Bodies in Gaza Stalled

Relatives and friends of Israeli soldier Mohammad Alatrash, a sergeant major in the Israeli military's Bedouin Trackers Unit who was killed in combat during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, carry his coffin during his funeral near Beersheba, on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
Relatives and friends of Israeli soldier Mohammad Alatrash, a sergeant major in the Israeli military's Bedouin Trackers Unit who was killed in combat during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, carry his coffin during his funeral near Beersheba, on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)

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.

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Arab World

Palestinian Authorities Say Israeli Army Kills Teen in West Bank

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Islam Ajouri, 14, at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 23, 2026. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Islam Ajouri, 14, at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 23, 2026. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinian Authorities Say Israeli Army Kills Teen in West Bank

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Islam Ajouri, 14, at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 23, 2026. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Islam Ajouri, 14, at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on August 23, 2026. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Israel's military killed a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said, while an Israeli and a Palestinian were wounded in separate incidents.

Israeli gunfire killed Islam Ahmad Maher Ajouri, 14, in the Askar refugee camp where he lived, outside Nablus in the north of the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry announced.

Mohammed Abu Kashk, head of the Askar camp services committee, told AFP that the teenager was killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the camp.

"There were no clashes or confrontations that would justify shooting a child and killing him," he said.

According to a source from the Palestinian Red Crescent, Ajouri was hit in the chest by live ammunition. He was pronounced dead at Nablus National Hospital.

At his funeral, his uncle Ahmed Mohamed Zamzoum told AFP that the boy went outside during the army raid. "Every time the Israeli forces enter, one or more martyrs are killed," he said.

The Israeli army told AFP it was verifying the information.

In a separate incident, the army said it apprehended a man suspected of stabbing an Israeli earlier on Sunday in Al-Auja, in the central West Bank.

Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom said the 24-year-old victim had "a penetrating wound".

The man was evacuated to a hospital in Jerusalem, and his condition was described as "moderate".

According to the initial findings of the investigation, the victim parked near a shopping center and was "attacked from behind and stabbed in the shoulder", Israeli police said in a statement.

Hani Najum, the head of the Al-Auja village council, told AFP that "the Israeli army raided the village, deployed in its streets" and imposed a curfew.

In a third incident, the army reported that a "terrorist" attempted "to steal a weapon from an IDF soldier" near the Palestinian town of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, and that forces opened fire at the man, saying he was "neutralized".

Palestinian sources told AFP that the man, Aws Akram Maatan, from the village of Burqa east of Ramallah, suffered an injury to his foot and was taken to a Jerusalem hospital for treatment.

The head of the Burqa village council, Sayel Kanaan, said in a statement that Maatan had been shot "without justification".

Violence has surged in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, since the start of the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians since then, according to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry.

Over the same period, at least 48 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.

Arab World

Tunisia Says Recovered 11 Migrants' Drowned Bodies

African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
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Tunisia Says Recovered 11 Migrants' Drowned Bodies

African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)
African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)

The Tunisian national guard said Sunday it recovered 11 bodies from the sea after a boat carrying migrants sank off the country's southeastern coast, with three people still missing.

The boat was carrying 15 people, only one of whom was rescued after it sank some 14 nautical miles off the shore of Zarzis on Friday night.

"Search operations resulted in the recovery of three bodies yesterday and eight bodies today, bringing the total to 11," the national guard said in a statement.

Searches for the three remaining missing passengers were ongoing, it added.

On Saturday night, residents in Ben Guerdane -- the marginalized city near the Libyan border where 14 of the migrants were from -- staged protests, blocking roads and setting tires on fire over the shipwreck.

Tunisia, whose coast is some 145 kilometers (90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, is a key departure point for migrants seeking to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in search of better lives in Europe.

The central Mediterranean crossing is the deadliest migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The IOM said earlier this month that the number of migrant deaths on the central Mediterranean route had more than doubled in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.

At least 914 migrants have died or gone missing along the route this year, according to the IOM.

In 2023, Tunisia signed a 255-million-euro ($290 million) deal with the European Union, nearly half of which was earmarked for tackling irregular migration.

The deal, strongly supported by Italy's hard-right government, aimed to bolster Tunisia's capacity to prevent boats leaving its shore.
 

Arab World

The 'Ali al-Taher' Battle: A Test of Hezbollah’s Capabilities

A protester shouts slogans while holding a portrait of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a protest against the backdrop of Lebanon-Israel talks and the normalization of relations, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A protester shouts slogans while holding a portrait of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a protest against the backdrop of Lebanon-Israel talks and the normalization of relations, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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The 'Ali al-Taher' Battle: A Test of Hezbollah’s Capabilities

A protester shouts slogans while holding a portrait of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a protest against the backdrop of Lebanon-Israel talks and the normalization of relations, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A protester shouts slogans while holding a portrait of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a protest against the backdrop of Lebanon-Israel talks and the normalization of relations, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The battle for the “Ali al-Taher” heights is placing Hezbollah before a difficult test that goes beyond its ability to defend the hill and prevent its fall. It also tests the effectiveness of the military strategies it has recently developed after conventional strategies failed over the past two years to counter Israel’s military and technological superiority.

Can Israel, through firepower, air power and surveillance, suffocate the force deployed in the area and undermine the conditions needed for its survival? Or can the underground fortifications, tunnels, storage facilities and combat capabilities prepared by Hezbollah give it room to continue wearing down Israeli forces and prolong the confrontation?

Ability to Maneuver

Retired Brigadier General Bahaa Hallal says that, regarding Hezbollah’s military position, “the land still has strategic value for it, but its defensive value automatically declines if it shifts from a controlled area to an exposed area under surveillance.” He explains: “The party’s core strength is not simply holding the hilltop, but its ability to operate in depth and particularly in the surrounding area, while Israel seeks to turn its air and intelligence superiority into permanent ground superiority.”

Hallal told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the main challenge facing Hezbollah is maintaining its ability to maneuver. If Israel manages to establish a presence, impose a buffer zone around the hill and prevent the party from moving, the balance of power will gradually begin to shift in its favor.”

In this context, underground fortifications are among the most important tools available to the defender. They can reduce the impact of air superiority, preserve a degree of continuity and survivability, and prevent the battle from being decided simply by control of the ground surface. Hallal cautions, however, that fortifications that provide protection from bombardment can become a burden if the area around them becomes besieged or isolated.

Isolated Pockets?

According to Hallal, this raises the central question in the “Ali al-Taher” battle: “Do the underground facilities still constitute an integrated network for maneuvering and communication, or have they become isolated pockets?”

Hallal says the ability to make decisions, communicate and implement them, while maintaining communication channels under pressure, will be among the main challenges facing Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah’s model, historically based on a degree of decentralization and flexibility, may mean that targeting a local position or commander would not necessarily be enough to bring down the entire system.

Hallal says the party’s strengths include geographical knowledge, organizational depth, the ability to exploit the mountainous terrain, and the capacity to continue operating despite losing positions. By contrast, he identifies Israel’s superiority in surveillance and air power, as well as the risk of isolation, as its main weaknesses.

He says that if Israel succeeds in separating “Ali al-Taher” from Hezbollah’s broader operational theater, the force there will face a more difficult defensive situation. He also considers the destruction of villages, roads and homes to be a major strategic pressure because it strikes part of the social and geographical environment in which any local force operates.

A Network of Tunnels

Retired Brigadier General George Nader describes the “Ali al-Taher” hill as being of major tactical importance because it overlooks a wide area north of the Litani River and large parts of the area south of it. He also points to its historical significance, as it was previously under Israeli occupation.

Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat that, according to the information on which he relies, the hill is an important position for the command of the Radwan Forces. It contains underground facilities and a network of tunnels linked to ammunition, logistics, missiles, drones, fighters and operations rooms.

A Bargaining Chip in Negotiations

Nader believes that Israeli control of the hill would give Israel greater leverage and a greater ability to impose its terms in future rounds of negotiations, particularly if it manages to turn military control into an established reality on the ground.

He believes Israel’s destructive and technological capabilities make the targeting of these facilities and tunnels a possibility, warning that the presence of large quantities of ammunition and missiles in the area could mean that any large-scale destruction operation would have major repercussions.

Major Israeli Attack

Based on this, Nader expects a major Israeli attack to seize the hill, considering that the objective could have political implications for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seeks to use control of the site to demonstrate that he has succeeded in striking Hezbollah’s command center in the south, thereby enhancing the security of the northern settlements on the eve of Israeli electoral events.

As for Hezbollah’s options in response, Nader believes they appear limited given the difficulty of movement south of the Litani River. This, in his assessment, makes it difficult to divert Israeli forces or force them to disperse their efforts by opening other fronts of movement in the area.