Massive destruction across the Gaza Strip has made it nearly impossible for Hamas to locate and recover Israeli hostages’ bodies buried under rubble. An Egyptian convoy carrying bulldozers and excavators entered Gaza on Saturday to assist recovery operations.
Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian prisoners’ bodies for every Israeli hostage’s body. Israel has returned 195 Palestinian corpses, while Hamas has handed over 18 Israeli remains. Earlier this month, Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “watching very closely” to ensure the exchange happens within 48 hours. He posted on Truth Social, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now—and, for some reason, they are not.”
Hamas Expands Search Efforts Amid Widespread Destruction
In the past five days, Hamas has failed to recover additional bodies because of the devastation across Gaza. The group’s negotiator told Egyptian media that corpses lie buried deep beneath collapsed structures and require specialized machinery to retrieve.
On Sunday, Hamas expanded search operations to new areas in the Strip to locate the remaining 13 bodies, Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya announced. The effort continues to face delays due to a lack of equipment and blocked access routes.
Last week, a Turkish convoy began clearing debris in Khan Younis, removing rubble from streets to support humanitarian operations. City officials estimate around 800 tonnes of debris have accumulated after months of Israeli airstrikes.
Israel Hits Nuseirat Refugee Camp Despite Ceasefire
Israeli forces struck the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday night, injuring at least four people, according to Awda Hospital officials. It marked Israel’s second attack on the camp within a week.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted Islamic Jihad militants allegedly planning attacks on Israeli troops. The group denied the claim. Hamas called the assault a violation of the ceasefire and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to derail the agreement.
Netanyahu defended the action, saying, “We thwart threats as they form, before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in Gaza.” He made the statement during his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
