The Hamas Militant Group Again Repeated The Body Of The Dead Hostage

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday handed over the bodies of hostages killed in the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The Hamas and Israeli groups agreed on a first-stage ceasefire agreement last week, with US, Egyptian and Qatar mediators. The return of the living and dead hostages will be followed by the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The Hamas group told mediators they would hand over four bodies to Israel starting at 19.00 GMT, an official involved in the operation told Reuters, as quoted October 15.

"We have received this communication from the Israeli authorities," Olga Cherevko, spokesman for the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office in Gaza, told reporters.

"We certainly really hope that the hostages' bodies will be handed over and the ceasefire will continue," he added.

Later, the Israeli military said the Red Cross had received four coffins from Hamas and was on its way to hand over his bodies to Israeli troops.

Earlier, Israel said it would only allow half of the number of aid trucks agreed to enter Gaza from Wednesday, according to records seen by Reuters and confirmed by the United Nations.

COGAT, Israel's military agency overseeing the flow of aid to Gaza, also notified the United Nations that no fuel or gas will be allowed into the enclave except for special needs related to humanitarian infrastructure.

COGAT blamed Hamas for the slow release of the hostages for the decision to limit aid trucks to 300 per day, accusing the militant group of violating the agreement.

"Hamas violated the agreement regarding the release of the bodies of the hostages who were held in the Gaza Strip. As a result, political leaders have decided to impose a number of sanctions related to the humanitarian agreement that has been reached," the COGAT record reads.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the repatriation of the bodies of the dead hostages took time, calling it a "big challenge" given the difficulty of finding bodies among Gaza's ruins, quoted from The Times of Israel.

On Monday, Hamas handed over the bodies of four of the 28 hostages who were killed, leaving Israel and the families of 24 other hostages accused the terror group of violating its commitments by ceasefire.

Meanwhile, 20 hostages who have been alive since being held hostage on October 7, 2023 have been completely released on the same day.

Last Friday, COGAT estimated around 600 aid trucks would enter Gaza daily during the ceasefire. COGAT notified the UN that 817 trucks had entered Gaza on Sunday, Cherevko said.