Egypt along with Red Cross Participate in Effort for Captive Remains in Gaza
Units from Egyptian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been authorized to search for the remains of deceased hostages taken during the 7 October attacks, Israeli authorities have verified.
The Israeli government stated that the crews have been allowed to search beyond the referred to as "demarcation line" in the region controlled by Israeli forces in the Gaza territory.
Hamas has handed over fifteen out of 28 hostages who lost their lives under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, which mandates it to hand over all remains of captives. The group said it is now coordinating with officials in Egypt.
The former US president has warned Hamas to start return the bodies "promptly, or the other countries participating in this significant peace will intervene".
An Israeli spokesperson said the Egyptian team has been authorized to collaborate with the Red Cross to find the remains, and would use excavator machines and vehicles for the operation past the "demarcation line".
The "demarcation line" marks the border running along the north, south and east of the Gaza territory that Israel pulled back to, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal.
Until now, Israeli authorities has not authorized the access of such teams.
Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, is a key signatory of the mediated by Trump Gaza peace plan, which was signed in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month.
The news will be welcomed by relatives, eager to provide a dignified funeral.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has already been heavily involved in the return of hostages.
The organization does not transfer its captives - living or deceased - straight to the Israel Defense Forces, but rather to the Red Cross, which in turn escorts them through Gaza and hands them on to the IDF.
But the entry of digging crews from Egypt inside the Gaza territory is a recent development.
After more than 24 months of heavy shelling by Israel, the United Nations calculates that as much as 84% of the area has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas says it is making every effort to retrieve hostage bodies, but it encounters challenges locating them under debris of structures bombed out by the Israeli military in Gaza.
It is now coordinating with the officials in Egypt.
On Sunday, an Israeli government spokesperson said that Hamas knew where the bodies were.
"If the group put in greater work, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our captives," the spokesperson commented.
The former president posted on his social media account on the weekend that measures would be implemented if the bodies of the hostages who died were not returned promptly.
"A portion of the remains are difficult to access, but others they can return at present and, for some reason, they are not. Maybe it has to do with their demilitarization," he said.
Trump continued: "We will observe what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this with great attention."
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On the weekend, the Israeli leader said Israel would decide which foreign forces it would permit as part of a planned multinational contingent in the region to help secure the ceasefire under the former president's initiative.
"We are in command of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will decide which units are unacceptable to us, and this is how we function and will proceed," he said talking at the beginning of a government session.
On Friday, the American diplomat said "numerous countries" had offered to be involved in the contingent - but added Israel would have to be comfortable with those taking part.
This seemed like a allusion to the Turkish government, amid accounts Israel had vetoed the nation's participation.
It remained unclear, however, how such a force could be stationed without an understanding with the organization.
The Israeli military initiated a armed operation in the territory in response to the incidents of October 7th, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 individuals and captured 251 others as captives.
No fewer than 68,519 have been lost their lives in military actions in the region since then, according to the territory's health authorities under the group's control.
