Cairo: Israel said on Monday that the Red Cross had handed over the body of another deceased hostage from Gaza to the Israeli military, according to a statement by the Israeli prime minister’s office.
If the identity of the deceased hostage is confirmed, it would mean that the remains of 12 hostages remain in Gaza with Palestinian militant group Hamas citing obstacles to locating them in the rubble left by the fighting.
Earlier on Monday, Hamas’ armed wing said it would hand over the body of a deceased hostage it recovered on Monday in Gaza.
The recovery and handover of bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza has been one of the obstacles to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group knew where the bodies were.
Israel on Sunday allowed the entry of an Egyptian technical team to work with the Red Cross to locate the bodies. The team would use excavator machines and trucks for the search beyond the so-called yellow line in Gaza behind which Israeli troops have initially pulled back under Trump’s plan.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Muhammad Al Gebaly; Writing by Menna Alaa El-Din; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Chizu Nomiyama )
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.