But one of the four dead bodies that the terrorist-stamped group returned to Israel on Tuesday was not part of the hostages being held, announces Israel's military. Instead, it is the remains of a Palestinian from Gaza that have been handed over, reports Israeli media.
A similar incident in February sparked great anger in Israel.
On Wednesday, the remains of four more hostages are expected to be handed over to Israel, according to mediator sources for The Times of Israel.
Too slow?
Besides Monday's exchange of 20 living hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli captivity, the return of remains is a central part of the Gaza war's peace agreement. A total of 28 dead hostages are to be returned to their relatives in Israel. With the incorrect body excluded, seven have been handed over so far, and the slow pace is causing irritation in Israel.
Israel has previously announced that while waiting for Hamas to hand over the remaining remains, it will keep the Rafah border crossing – which the country partially controls despite it being between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – closed, and halve the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into the Palestinian area.
But on Wednesday morning, the news came that the country is backing down from the plans and opening the crossing, writes AFP, citing Israeli Kan.
Both Hamas and the Red Cross have warned that some remains are difficult to find in Gaza. Hamas claims that time is needed to recover all the bodies, as some of them are in bombed-out areas and may be under rubble. The Red Cross warns that some remains may never be found. It is also stated that people who knew where the dead were stored or buried may have been killed, according to the media.
Talk of phase two
In parallel, negotiations are beginning between Hamas and Israel on the second phase of the peace plan, according to source information to Haaretz.
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the second phase of the peace plan had begun, but the newspaper writes that it is only now that preliminary and tentative talks between Israel and Hamas on the second phase are starting. The first phase of the agreement included, among other things, that Hamas would release all remaining hostages – all living and all remains of the dead – within three days, which, as far as the remains are concerned, has not yet happened.
The second phase is about, among other things, how Gaza will be governed after the war.
