World
Hamas violates Trump peace deal, returns the body of Gazan instead of Israeli hostage
Only five of the 28 bodies promised under the agreement have been returned.
Hamas released the body of a Gazan who had assisted Israeli forces, rather than that of a fallen Israeli hostage, during a transfer of remains to Israel on Tuesday, according to Israeli officials.
Initially, Israeli authorities believed the body belonged to a fallen IDF soldier after it was discovered wearing an Israeli uniform. However, subsequent forensic examination revealed that the remains were of a Gazan man who had aided the IDF in locating underground terror tunnels during the war.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel will utilize every possible means to ensure the return of all hostages’ remains,” an Israeli official stated following the discovery. Netanyahu’s spokesperson told foreign press on Wednesday that delivering a Gazan body in place of one of the fallen hostages constitutes a violation of President Donald Trump’s peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Despite the breach, the spokesperson emphasized that Israel has continued to uphold its humanitarian commitments. “Hamas released a body that is not that of a fallen soldier. We are clear when we say this: Hamas must return all the fallen hostages; we will not compromise and will spare no effort until all the fallen are returned,” the statement read.
“Hamas committed to this before President Trump, and all the fallen must come home. Humanitarian aid has never been interrupted.” The families of the fallen said that returning the bodies for burial in Israel would allow them to find closure and “return to their lives.”
The remains of hostages Uriel Baruch, Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levi were identified at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute early Wednesday morning. Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas is fully aware of the locations of at least some of the 21 hostages whose remains have not yet been returned.
Hamas, however, has repeatedly claimed that it cannot locate all of the bodies of murdered hostages in Gaza, asserting as recently as Tuesday evening that it has “already handed over all the hostages it could access.” The group claimed that locating the remaining remains would require “extensive efforts and specialized equipment.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross received the remains of two deceased hostages from Hamas earlier this week, the IDF confirmed. Under the Trump-brokered peace deal, Israel released more than 1,900 convicted terrorists, including murderers and rapists, in exchange for 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 others. To date, all living hostages have been released, but only five of the 28 bodies promised under the agreement have been returned.
Israeli officials say the mistaken delivery underscores Hamas’s continued violations of the agreement and its disregard for both humanitarian law and the families of the fallen.
