The remains of another Israeli hostage arrived in Tel Aviv overnight. This leaves 18 dead in the Gaza Strip. Israel is pressing and threatening, while Hamas points to the difficulty of the recovery effort.

The militant Islamist Hamas has handed over the body of another slain hostage. The Israeli army announced that the coffin was handed over to staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to the Israeli government, the body has since been identified as Elijahu Margalit. The then 75-year-old resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel was murdered in the Islamist Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken to the Gaza Strip.

Hamas did not comment on the original location of the body. Images circulated by Arab media on Friday showed Hamas militiamen digging in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The body was reportedly buried in a tunnel.

Hamas speaks of difficult rescue

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to hand over 28 bodies last Monday. With the identification of the now handed-over body, a total of 10 bodies have been handed over. Accordingly, 18 dead hostages remain in the Gaza Strip.

The terrorist organization claims that it is difficult for them to find the bodies because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels. Special equipment is needed to recover the remaining bodies. Israeli officials contradict this account. Hamas has knowledge of and access to a double-digit number of dead hostages, Israeli media quoted them as saying.

Meanwhile, Turkey has dispatched 81 specialists to the region to assist in the search for bodies in the rubble in the Gaza Strip and in recovering the remains. According to the Turkish Disaster Management Agency (AFAD), the specialists were still waiting in Egypt for a green light from Israel on Friday.

Fragile ceasefire

The first phase of the ceasefire initiated by US President Donald Trump in the war between Israel and Hamas calls for the release and handover of all living and dead hostages. According to Trump's plan, further steps include Hamas laying down its weapons, the establishment of a transitional administration without Islamist participation, and the initiation of reconstruction of the devastated coastal region. The ceasefire is considered fragile. The concrete implementation of the Trump plan still poses many questions.

Among other things, Hamas has so far shown little willingness to disarm. Israel's army still occupies almost half of the territory of the Gaza Strip. Its withdrawal is contingent on Hamas fulfilling the obligations imposed by the ceasefire agreement. At the same time, Israel threatens a return to war if Hamas fails to comply with these conditions.