GAZA CITY: Hamas’s armed wing said it would hand over the remains of another hostage on Friday as required under the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel in Gaza.
In a statement on Telegram, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said that it, along with the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, would “hand over the body of one of the occupation’s captives, which was found today in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, at 9 pm Gaza time (1900 GMT).”
At the start of the truce, which came into effect on October 10, Hamas held 48 hostages in Gaza – 20 alive and 28 deceased.
The fighters have since released all the surviving captives.
Of the 28 deceased hostages, 22 have so far been returned – including 19 Israelis, one Thai national, one Nepali and one Tanzanian.
Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the bodies of deceased hostages, while the Palestinian group says the process is slow because many are buried beneath Gaza’s rubble.
The group has repeatedly called on mediators and the Red Cross to provide it with the necessary equipment and personnel to recover the bodies. — AFP
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