JERUSALEM, Oct 13: Israel has warned Hamas of dire consequences, should the terror group fail to uphold its end of the deal, after the group only sent back four bodies. Political, military, and social activists are all collectively demanding that the remains of all 28 deceased hostages be sent back today.
Eliciting a fierce backlash from Israeli officials and the hostage families, who accused the group of violating the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that any deliberate delay or failure to return the bodies would be treated as a “blatant violation” of the deal.
“The urgent mission we are all committed to now is to ensure the return of all the fallen hostages home,” he said on X.
“Hamas’s announcement of the expected return of four bodies today constitutes a failure to meet its commitments,” Katz wrote, adding that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be met accordingly.”
The Hostage and Missing Families likewise called for a “severe response” and urged the government to suspend further implementation of the agreement until all the bodies are returned.
“An agreement must be respected by both sides. If Hamas does not fulfil its part, Israel should not fulfil its part either,” the group said. “We demand all 28 hostages. We will not give up on anyone, down to the last hostage.”
According to Hamas, the four bodies being returned today are Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and IDF officer Capt. Daniel Perez.
The group told mediators that it was unable to locate the remaining bodies due to widespread rubble following the heavy destruction in Gaza.
An Israeli official told CNN this week that seven to nine bodies might not be retrieved, while another put the figure at between 10 and 15. The report was not publicly confirmed by Israeli authorities.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin warned of serious repercussions, demanding that the terror group return all 28 bodies.
He also confirmed that Israel had been informed about the transfer of the four bodies and said efforts were underway to pressure Hamas into fulfilling its full obligation.
“We have been informed that later today, approximately four fallen hostages will be returned. Even at this hour, efforts are being made at all levels to exert pressure for the continuation of the process to return the bodies of the fallen,” Defrin said in a video statement.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claimed that 60 Palestinian bodies had been recovered from under rubble in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 200 in the four days since the ceasefire began.
As per the Hamas run ministry, a total 67,800 Gazans have been killed in the war, though the figure is unverified and does not distinguish between civilian and military casualties.
Israel maintains that it has killed over 22,000 Hamas combatants in Gaza and another 1,600 terrorists during and immediately after the October 7, 2023, attack.
(UNI)
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