Hamas to return bodies of two Israeli hostages amid renewed Gaza ceasefire

Hamas’s armed wing announced on Thursday that it would return the bodies of two Israeli hostages as part of the ongoing US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said on its Telegram channel that it “will hand over the bodies of two Israeli prisoners at 4:00 pm Gaza time (1400 GMT).” So far, Hamas has returned the remains of 15 of the 28 deceased hostages it had agreed to hand over under the agreement.

The announcement comes after Israel carried out overnight airstrikes across Gaza from Tuesday to Wednesday, following an attack that killed an Israeli soldier in the southern part of the territory. Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, reported that more than 100 people were killed in the strikes, including dozens of children. The agency described it as the deadliest night since the truce began on October 10.

By Wednesday morning, Israel said it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire.”

Both US President Donald Trump and regional mediator Qatar expressed confidence that the truce would hold.

Hamas maintained that its fighters had “no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah” and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. The group also delayed the return of another hostage’s remains, saying that “any escalation will hinder the search, excavation and recovery of the bodies.”

Earlier this week, Hamas faced criticism in Israel after returning what it said was the 16th body under the agreement. Israeli authorities later confirmed through forensic examination that the remains belonged to a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel nearly two years ago. Israel called it a violation of the truce terms.

The current ceasefire arrangement began earlier this month. After it took effect, Hamas released 20 surviving hostages still in its custody and started returning the bodies of the 28 deceased captives.

Israel has accused Hamas of failing to return the bodies quickly enough. The Palestinian group, however, said the process takes time due to the difficulty of locating remains buried beneath the destruction in Gaza.

Hamas had captured 251 people during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.