Israel keeps Rafah Crossing closed, citing 'unreturned' hostage bodies

TEL AVIV: Israel has announced that the Rafah border crossing will remain closed and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza will be reduced, despite the recently implemented ceasefire agreement.

According to Israeli media, the decision will remain in effect until Hamas returns the bodies of all Israeli hostages.

Israeli security officials reportedly concluded that there is no substantial evidence suggesting Hamas is making meaningful efforts to locate the remains of Israeli captives.

Authorities claim that Hamas possesses information regarding several deceased hostages but has so far returned only four bodies.

On Monday, Hamas confirmed the handover of four Israeli hostages’ bodies, a development that the Israeli military later verified, stating that identification had been completed.

The reopening of the Rafah Crossing was originally planned as part of the first phase of the ceasefire implementation.

According to Qatar’s Al-Arabi network, Egyptian teams are currently operating inside Gaza to assist in locating the remains of Israeli hostages, with an Israeli technical team providing guidance and coordination.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday that the process of recovering and transferring bodies of hostages and detainees killed during the war would take time, citing the extensive destruction in Gaza that makes locating bodies under rubble extremely difficult.

On the other hand, Gaza health officials reported that 45 bodies of Palestinians killed during recent Israeli attacks have been transferred to Nasser Hospital, while Israel is still holding dozens of Palestinian bodies killed since October 7, 2023.