Tel Aviv, Oct 18 (V7N) — Hamas has handed over the body of another Israeli hostage to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Gaza via the International Committee of the Red Cross at midnight.
The remains arrived in Tel Aviv early Saturday morning (October 18). With this, 10 out of 28 bodies of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have now been returned to their families.
In a statement, Hamas said that the recovery of bodies buried under the rubble requires heavy machinery and excavation equipment, which has slowed the process.
However, Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the handover, saying the militant group is violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The dispute over the delayed return of the hostages’ remains has further strained the already fragile truce between the two sides.
END/SMA/AJ
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