Hamas Hands Over Three Hostage Bodies In Gaza Strip

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas again handed over the bodies of three hostages in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, as part of a ceasefire agreement.

The body was handed over to the Red Cross to be then taken to Israel to be handed over to the local military authorities and undergoing an identification process, such as the previous repatriation of the bodies.

The bodies are thought to be three of the 11 hostages whose bodies were sought by Israel from Gaza based on the terms of the ceasefire, quoted from Reuters on November 3.

Israel says Hamas was too slow in repatriating the hostages' bodies. Instead, Hamas said they were working as quickly as possible in difficult conditions.

The return of hostages is just one of the disputes that has hampered the full implementation of the US-brokered ceasefire that has been in effect since October 10.

The ceasefire mediated Together by Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Turkey has eased much of the fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the rubble of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities and more aid has been allowed in.

Hamas released all 20 surviving hostages who were held in Gaza in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime prisoners detained by Israel.

Hamas also agreed, based on the ceasefire, to hand over the bodies of 28 hostages who died in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who died in the war. As of Sunday, Hamas had handed over 17 bodies.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes killed one person in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said its plane had attacked a militant who threatened its troops.

Al-Ahli Hospital said a man was killed in an air strike near a vegetable market on the outskirts of Shejaia, Gaza City.

"There are still Hamas pockets in the areas we control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a broadcast speech at the start of a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Hamas released what it describes as a list of ceasefire violations by Israel. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, denied that Hamas fighters had violated the ceasefire by attacking Israeli soldiers.