Hamas blames Netanyahu for delays in the delivery of hostages’ bodies

The Islamist group Hamas blamed Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for the delays in the delivery of the bodies of the Israeli hostages killed in Gaza that have yet to be returned to Israel. The Palestinian organization argued in a statement released on its social media that the return of the bodies will take time as some were buried in tunnels “destroyed by the occupation”, while others are still under the rubble of bombed and demolished buildings.

You may be interested in: Israel partially pauses its attacks in Gaza on the eve of new negotiations with Hamas

“Any delay in the return of the bodies falls entirely on the Netanyahu government, which prevents and avoids the supply of the necessary resources,” he added, as they need equipment to recover them “that is currently unavailable due to the entry ban imposed by the occupation.” The Rafah border crossing, in the south of the Gaza Strip, remains closed, and Hamas considers this part of a strategy by the Tel Aviv government to “punish” the Palestinian population and “manipulate the humanitarian situation” for political gain. This Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that the passage “will likely be opened this Sunday” and accused Hamas of violating the peace agreement with Israel by “holding” the bodies of 19 deceased hostages. “We know they can deliver them, but they don’t want to; they’re using them as a last resort (…) This once again demonstrates the barbaric nature of Hamas,” Sa’ar assured. Netanyahu, for his part, reiterated in a ceremony in Jerusalem, in memory of those fallen in the Gaza war, his commitment to the families of the hostages whose bodies remain in the Gaza Strip, to whom he promised that he will repatriate “until the last one of them”. Instead, Hamas argues that “the Nazi occupation army that killed these prisoners is the same one that buried them under the rubble” and claims that the bodies they were able to access “were handed over immediately.” The statement concludes that Hamas maintains its commitment to implement the agreement to “hand over all missing bodies,” while noting that Netanyahu “does not fulfill his obligations” and “obstructs humanitarian efforts” to reach the other corpses. The ceasefire in Gaza began last Friday, and with it the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Strip, which includes the cessation of attacks, the release of the twenty living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops. The agreement, accepted by Israel and Hamas, also includes the handover of the bodies of all deceased hostages, of which the Palestinian group still has to hand over 19.