Tensions between Israel and Hamas escalated Wednesday after the Israeli military confirmed that one of the four bodies handed over by Hamas as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal was not that of any known Israeli hostage held in Gaza.
According to Israel’s military, forensic examinations revealed that “the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages.” Officials said the identity of the deceased remains unknown, deepening the uncertainty surrounding the already fragile truce.
The handover was part of a phased agreement introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump, under which Hamas was to release both living and deceased hostages by a Monday deadline. In total, Israel is awaiting the return of 28 bodies, while all 20 surviving hostages were freed earlier in the week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Hamas fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire’s terms, warning that Israel would not rest until every hostage—living or dead—was accounted for.
“We will not compromise on this and will not stop our efforts until we return the last deceased hostage,” Netanyahu said.
Ceasefire Under Strain
The mistaken handover is not unprecedented. In a previous truce earlier this year, Hamas delivered the wrong remains, later found to belong to a Palestinian woman instead of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas. Bibas’ body was correctly identified a day later.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem stated via Telegram that the group was still working to locate and return all bodies, accusing Israel of “violating the deal” through renewed military operations in Gaza City and Rafah.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz countered that Israeli forces were operating strictly within the ceasefire’s deployment boundaries and warned that any armed militants approaching Israeli lines would be “targeted without hesitation.”
Aid Shipments Resume Slowly
Humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza, suspended for two days due to the prisoner-hostage exchanges and a Jewish holiday, were expected to resume Wednesday. Egyptian state media reported that aid trucks had begun moving toward the Rafah crossing, where they undergo Israeli inspection before entering Gaza.
However, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) notified aid groups that it would permit only half of the 600 daily trucks agreed upon in the ceasefire plan, citing Hamas’ delays in releasing all deceased hostages.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that Israel accepted the U.S.-drafted 20-point ceasefire plan “as is” and expects full compliance from all parties.
Somber Returns and Public Mourning
Two of the hostages whose bodies were recovered Uriel Baruch and Eitan Levi were scheduled to be buried Wednesday. Baruch was abducted during the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023, while Levi was kidnapped while driving a friend to Kibbutz Be’eri.
In Israel, it has become tradition for thousands to line the streets to honor the fallen as the processions pass, waving flags in silent tribute.
Families of the remaining hostages, though grateful for the return of the living, expressed frustration over the slow repatriation of the deceased, calling for greater international pressure to ensure Hamas meets its obligations.
As the ceasefire enters its most delicate phase, the discovery of a misidentified body threatens to reignite tensions in a region still reeling from two years of devastating conflict.
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