Israel is preparing for the possibility of receiving the remains of two captives who were held in the Gaza Strip today, Friday, around 9 p.m., based on initial indications, according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
A senior Israeli official reportedly told the Hebrew newspaper that Hamas could return the bodies of 7 captives but does not know the whereabouts of 5 others.
The Israeli official accused Hamas of “playing and buying time” to extend the ceasefire, “even without reaching the second phase in which the movement is required to relinquish its weapons.”
In a reference to Israel’s repeated demands for the return of the remaining bodies of the captives, the official said that “Israel is banging on the table regarding the issue of the bodies, and the Americans understand our position. There are two US citizens among the dead (Captain Omer Neutra and Staff Sergeant Itay Chen).”
The last batch of remains was repatriated last Wednesday, when the bodies of Aryeh Zalmanovitch and Tamir Adar were returned.
Before the ceasefire, there were 28 bodies of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, leaving the current remaining number at 13.
Israel claims that Hamas is stalling the delivery of the captives’ bodies, despite the movement’s affirmation that it faces difficulties in recovering and determining the location of the captives due to the destruction caused by Israel in its aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Washington and international organizations reportedly understood this delay given the immense volume of destruction and rubble in the Strip, which the United Nations previously described as equivalent to 13 pyramids of Giza.
In addition to the bodies of the Israeli captives, more than 11,000 missing Palestinians from the Strip remain under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli aggression, which lasted two years.
